THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


IN  NESTING  TIME 


BY 


OLIVE  THORNE  MILLER 


BOSTON    AND    NEW    YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   AND   COMPANY 


1893 


Copyright,  1888, 
BY  H.  M.  MILLEU, 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge ',  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Company. 


**  Very  few  people  have  the  least  idea  what  wild  creatures  are 
like.  Their  notion  generally  is  to  shoot  them,  and  then  pick  them 
up  for  examination  ;  which  is  the  same  thing  as  if  some  being  of 
superior  race,  seeing  children  at  play,  were  to  shoot  a  few  at  long 
range,  and  then  turn  them  over  and  describe  them  and  consider 
himself  learned  in  their  structure,  habits,  and  appearance"  — 
JEAN  INGELOW. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


THE  sketches  of  bird  manners  and  customs 
in  this  little  collection  are  the  record  of  careful 
observation,  and  scrupulously  true  in  every  par- 
ticular. The  facts  may  not  all  be  new  to  Science, 
but  since  they  are  genuine  studies  from  life,  and 
each  bird  whose  acquaintance  I  make  is  as  truly 
a  discovery  to  me  as  if  he  were  totally  unknown 
to  the  world,  I  venture  to  hope  that  lovers  of 
birds  may  find  in  these  pages  real,  live,  individu- 
als in  feathers,  honestly  "  brothers  of  ours." 

OLIVE  THORNE  MILLER. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

I.  BABY  BIRDS 1 

Purple  Crow  Blackbird.     Quiscalus  quiscula. 
Redwing  Blackbird.     Ageloeus  phceniceus. 
Yellow-Throated  Warbler.    Dendroica  dominica. 
Baltimore  Oriole.    Icterus  galbula. 
White-Bellied  Nuthatch.     Sitta  carolinensis. 
American  Robin.     Merula  migratoria. 
Phoebe.     Sayornis  phoebe. 

II.  BIRD-STUDY  IN  A  SOUTHERN  STATE    .  .19 

Great  White  Heron.     Ardea  occidentalis. 
Bald  Eagle.     Haliceetus  leucocephalus. 
Wilson's  Tern.     Sterna  hirundo. 
Ring  Plover.     ^Egialitis  hiaticula. 

III.  THE  MOCKING-BIRD'S  NEST          .        .        .        .33 

Mocking-Bird.     Mimus  polyglottos. 

IV.  A  TRICKSY  SPIRIT 65 

Mocking-Bird.     Mimus  polyglottos. 

V.  THE  "WISE  BLUEBIRD" 95 

Bluebird.     Sialia  sialis. 

VI.  THE  GOLDEN-WING 113 

Golden- Wing  Woodpecker.    Colaptes  auratus. 

VII.  A  STORMY  WOOING 129 

Orchard  Oriole.     Icterus  spurius. 


VI  CONTENTS. 

VIII.  FLUTTBRBUDQBT 145 

Brown  Thrush,  or  Thrasher.    Harporhynchus 
rufus. 

IX.  "O  WONDROUS  SINGERS  " 159 

Wilson's  Thrush.     Turdus  fuscescens. 
Gray-Cheeked  Thrush.    Turdus  alicice. 

X.  A  BIRD  OF  AFFAIRS 173 

Blue-Jay.     Cyanodtta  cristata. 

XI.   THE  BLUE-JAY  AGAIN 189 

XII.  VIRGINIA'S  WOOING 205 

Virginia  Cardinal.     Cardinalis  cardinalis. 

XIIL  FRIENDSHIP  IN  FEATHERS 221 

Scarlet  Tanager.     Piranga  erythromelas. 
English  Goldfinch.    Fringilla  carduelis. 

XTV.  THE  ROSY  SHIELD 237 

Rose-Breasted  Grosbeak.     Habia  ludoviciana. 

XV.  THE  BIRD  OF  MYSTERY 251 

Birds  of  Paradise.    Paradiscea. 


BABY  BIRDS. 


And  oft  an  unintruding  guest, 

I  watched  her  secret  toils  from  day  to  day ; 
How  true  she  warped  the  moss  to  form  the  nest, 

And  modeled  it  within  with  wood  and  clay. 
And  by  and  by,  like  heath-bells  gilt  with  dew, 

There  lay  her  shining  eggs  as  bright  as  flowers, 
Ink-spotted  over,  shells  of  green  and  blue : 

And  there  I  witnessed  in  the  summer  hours 
A  brood  of  Nature's  minstrels  chirp  and  fly, 
Glad  as  the  sunshine  and  the  laughing  sky. 

JOHN  CLARE. 


I. 

BABY  BIRDS. 


"  EAKS  have  they,  but  they  hear  not,"  may 
be  said  of  all  the  world.  Tragedies  and  come- 
dies go  on  continually  before  us  which  we  nei- 
ther see  nor  hear ;  cries  of  distress  and  prattle 
of  infants,  songs  of  love  and  screams  of  war, 
alike  fall  upon  deaf  ears,  while  we  calmly  dis- 
cuss the  last  book  or  the  news  from  Borriboo- 
lah-Gha,  as  completely  oblivious  as  if  all  this 
stirring  life  did  not  exist. 

To  be  sure  these  things  take  place  in  the 
"upper  stories,"  as  Thoreau  says,  but  they  are 
none  the  less  audible,  and  one  is  tempted  to  be- 
lieve that  bird  voices  are  on  a  scale  to  which 
the  untrained  ear  is  not  attuned.  Once  learn 
to  hear,  and  nature  is  full  of  life  and  interest. 
The  home  affairs  of  our  little  neighbors  whose 
modest  cottage  swings  on  a  branch  of  the  elm 
beside  the  door  are  more  attractive  than  those 
of  our  fellow  creatures  in  the  house  across  the 
way  partly  because  they  are  so  open  in  their 


4  BLACKBIRDS  IN  TROUBLE. 

lives  that  our  attentions  do  not  seem  intrusive, 
but  more  because  their  ways  are  not  so  familiar. 
We  can  guess  how  men  and  women  pass  their 
time,  but  we  cannot  guess  why  the  cat-bird  al- 
ways sings  from  the  middle  of  one  particular 
shrub,  nor  where  he  has  hidden  his  dusky 
spouse  and  nest  full  of  babies;  and  after  we 
know  him  we  are  eager  to  discover. 

Upon  reaching  the  charming  home  of  a  friend 
in  Massachusetts  last  June,  almost  the  first 
thing  I  saw  was  a  pair  of  purple  crow  black- 
birds in  trouble.  First  arose  a  medley  of  queer 
husky  tones,  clamorous  baby  cries,  and  excited 
oriole  voices,  with  violent  agitation  of  the  leaves 
of  a  tall  elm,  ending  with  the  sudden  exit  of  a 
blackbird,  closely  followed  by  a  pair  of  Balti- 
more orioles.  The  pursued  flew  leisurely  across 
the  lawn,  plainly  in  no  haste,  and  not  at  all 
with  the  air  of  the  thief  and  nest  robber  he  is 
popularly  supposed  to  be.  Clearly  the  elm  be- 
longed by  bird  custom  to  the  orioles,  for  their 
pretty  swinging  hammock  could  be  seen  partly 
hidden  by  leaves,  about  half-way  up  the  tree, 
and  what  business  other  than  that  of  marauder 
had  the  sombre-hued  enemy  upon  it  ? 

Now  the  blackbird  has  no  secrets  in  his  life ; 
the  whole  world  is  welcome  to  know  his  affairs, 
and  in  fact  he  proclaims  them  loudly  himself. 
It  was  easy  to  see  that  he  had  anxiety  enough 


DANGER  IN  THE  NEST.  5 

of  his  own  just  then,  without  thinking  of  dis- 
turbing his  neighbors,  for  he  was  engaged  in 
the  task  of  introducing  his  young  family  to  the 
world,  and  every  bird  watcher  knows  that  is  at- 
tended with  almost  as  many  difficulties  as  is  the 
same  operation  in  what  we  call  "  society." 

If  the  youngster  escape  the  dangers  peculiar 
to  the  nest,  the  devouring  jaws  of  squirrel  or 
owl,  the  hands  of  the  egg  thief,  being  shaken 
out  by  the  wind,  smothered  by  an  intrusive 
cow-bunting,  or  orphaned  by  the  gun  of  a  "  col- 
lector;" if,  neither  stolen,  eaten,  thrown  out, 
nor  starved,  he  arrives  at  the  age  that  his  wings 
begin  to  stir  and  force  him  out  of  the  leafy 
green  tent  of  his  birth,  a  new  set  of  dangers 
meet  him  at  the  door.  He  may  entangle  him- 
self in  a  hair  of  the  nest-lining,  and  hang  him- 
self at  the  very  threshold  of  life — a  not  un- 
common occurrence ;  or  he  may  safely  reach 
the  nearest  twig  and  from  there  fall  and  break 
his  neck  —  not  a  rare  accident ;  he  may  be  at- 
tacked by  a  bird  who  questions  his  right  to  be 
on  the  tree  ;  he  may  fly,  and,  not  reaching  his 
goal,  come  to  the  ground,  an  easy  prey  to  any 
prowler. 

In  this  blackbird  family  one  of  the  little  ones 
had  taken  his  first  ambitious  flight  to  the  ori- 
ole's tree,  where  he  must  and  should  be  fed  and 
comforted,  in  spite  of  the  hostile  reception  of  its 


6  A    WISE  MOTHER. 

gayly  dressed  proprietor.  The  father  took  upon 
himself  this  duty,  and  many  times  during  the 
day  the  above-mentioned  scene  was  re  en  acted, 
loud  blackbird  calls,  husky  baby  notes,  the 
musical  war-cry  of  the  oriole,  and  a  chase. 

A  second  infant  had  wisely  confined  his  wan- 
dering to  his  own  tree,  one  of  a  group  of  tall 
pines  that  towered  above  the  roofs  of  the  vil- 
lage. This  one  could  be  easily  watched  as  he 
stood  on  one  branch  for  an  hour  at  a  time, 
sometimes  in  the  nest  attitude,  head  sunk  in 
shoulders  and  beak  pointed  toward  the  sky, 
again  looking  eagerly  around  on  his  new  world, 
turning  his  head  from  side  to  side,  changing 
position  to  see  the  other  way,  and  showing  him- 
self wide  awake  although  the  yellowish  baby- 
down  was  still  on  his  head,  and  his  tail  was  not 
an  inch  long.  Now  and  then  the  mother  was 
heard  calling  in  the  distance,  and  as  she  ap- 
proached he  became  all  excitement,  fluttering 
his  wings,  and  answering  in  the  husky  tones 
of  the  family.  A  moment  later,  after  a  quick 
glance  around,  but  without  alighting  and  recon- 
noitring the  whole  neighborhood,  as  the  robin 
does,  she  came  down  beside  the  eager  youngling, 
administered  to  the  wide  open  mouth  what 
looked  like  two  or  three  savage  pecks,  but 
doubtless  were  nothing  worse  than  mouthfuls 
of  food,  and  instantly  flew  again,  while  the  re- 


A  SCRAGGY  YOUNGSTER.  7 

freshed  infant  stretched  his  wings  and  legs, 
changed  his  place  a  little,  and  settled  into  com- 
fortable quiet  after  his  lunch. 

The  urchin  in  the  enemy's  tree  was  not  the 
most  unfortunate  of  the  nestlings.  One  already 
lay  dead  on  the  ground  under  the  nest  where  it 
had  fallen,  and  another  came  down  during  the 
day,  though  happily  without  injury.  This  one 
was  not  very  bright,  or  perhaps  his  baby  wits 
were  dazed  by  his  sudden  descent.  He  made 
no  objection  to  staying  in  my  hand  as  long  as  I 
liked  to  look  at  him,  and  when  I  placed  him  on 
a  low  branch,  as  a  hint  that  it  was  safer  there, 
he  declined  to  accept  rny  advice,  but  flew  off 
and  came  to  the  ground  again.  He  was  a 
scraggy  looking,  rusty  black  little  fellow,  the 
most  unattractive  young  bird  I  ever  saw. 
Shortly  after  this  he  clambered  up  on  a  pile  of 
brush  about  a  foot  high,  without  so  much  as  a 
leaf  to  screen  him,  and  there  he  stayed  all  day, 
motionless,  being  fed  at  long  intervals ;  and 
there  I  left  him  at  night,  never  expecting  to  see 
him  again.  But  in  the  morning  he  appeared  on 
a  low  shrub  on  the  lawn,  and  about  nine  o'clock 
he  took  courage  to  launch  himself  on  wing.  He 
flew  very  low  across  the  street,  and  dropped 
into  the  tall  grass  at  the  foot  of  a  lilac  bush. 
Why  the  parents  considered  that  less  safe  than 
the  open  lawn  I  could  not  see,  but  they  evi- 


8  THE  REDWING  BABY. 

dently  did,  for  one  of  them  perched  upon  the 
lilac,  and  filled  the  air  with  anxious  "  chucks," 
announcing  to  all  whom  it  might  concern  — 
after  the  fashion  of  some  birds  —  that  here  was 
a  stray  infant  to  be  had  for  the  picking  up. 
Perhaps,  however,  the  hue-and-cry  kept  off  the 
quiet-loving  cat ;  at  any  rate  nothing  happened 
to  him,  I  think,  for  in  a  day  or  two  the  three 
young  birds  became  so  expert  on  wing  that  the 
whole  family  left  us,  and  I  hope  found  a  place 
where  they  were  more  welcome  than  in  that 
colony  of  house  and  orchard  birds. 

Not  so  quiet  in  their  ways  are  the  babies  of 
another  blackbird  family  —  the  redwings  ;  rest- 
less and  uneasy,  the  clumsy  little  creatures 
climb  all  about  the  bushes  and  trees,  and  keep 
both  parents  busy,  not  only  in  filling  their  gap- 
ing mouths,  but  in  finding  them  when  the  food 
is  brought.  They  are  always  seeking  a  new 
place,  and  from  the  moment  of  leaving  the  nest 
show  in  a  marked  way  the  unrest,  the  impa- 
tience of  the  redwing  family. 

Quite  as  erratic  is  a  much  smaller  bird,  the 
yellow-throated  warbler,  whose  baby  ways  I 
have  seen  at  the  South.  One  of  these  bantlings 
no  bigger  than  the  end  of  a  thumb  will  easily 
keep  its  parent  frantically  busy  rushing  about 
after  food,  and  hunting  up  the  capricious  wan- 
derer on  its  return. 


A  FEATHERED  CRY-BABY.  9 

The  wood  thrush,  on  the  contrary,  is  patience 
itself.  A  youngster  of  this  lovely  family  sits  a 
half  hour  at  a  time  motionless  and  silent  on  a 
branch,  head  drawn  down  upon  his  shoulders, 
apparently  in  the  deepest  meditation.  When 
he  sees  food  coming  he  is  gently  agitated,  rises 
upon  his  weak  legs,  softly  flutters  his  wings  and 
opens  his  mouth,  but  never  —  never  cries. 
Should  one  put  a  hand  down  to  take  him,  as 
seemingly  could  be  done  easily,  he  will  slip  out 
from  under  it,  drop  to  the  ground,  and  disap- 
pear, in  perfect  silence. 

The  cry-baby  of  the  bird  world  is  the  Balti- 
more oriole.  As  soon  as  this  fluffy  young  per- 
son appears  outside  of  his  nursery,  sometimes 
even  before,  he  begins  to  utter  a  strange  almost 
constant  "  chrr-r-r."  He  is  not  particularly 
active  of  movement,  but  he  cannot  keep  silent. 
One  little  oriole  mother  whom  I  watched  in 
Massachusetts  had  no  help  in  raising  her  brood, 
her  mate  spending  his  time  on  the  upper 
branches  of  the  tree.  He  could  not  be  blamed, 
however ;  he  was,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  perfectly 
willing  to  aid  in  the  support  of  the  family,  but 
Madam  actually  would  not  allow  him  even  to 
visit  the  homestead.  When  the  young  were 
out  he  assumed  his  share  of  the  labor.  The 
first  yellow-haired  bairn  mounted  the  edge  of 
the  nest  one  morning,  and  after  a  little  stretch- 


10  AN  ACCIDENT  IN  THE  FAMILY. 

ing  and  pluming,  tried  to  fly.  But  alas  he  was 
held !  Two  or  three  times  he  renewed  the  at- 
tempt, his  struggles  always  ending  in  failure, 
and  I  feared  I  should  see  a  tragedy.  Half  an 
hour  later  the  mother  returned,  and  whether 
she  pushed  him^down,  or  merely  advised  him 
to  go  back  and  try  again,  I  cannot  say.  The 
fact  is  that  he  did  disappear  in  the  nest,  where 
he  remained  for  two  or  three  hours,  for  it  is 
probably  safe  to  assume  that  the  urchin  who 
came  up  later  was  the  same.  This  time,  with- 
out delay  upon  the  brink,  he  climbed  upon  a 
twig,  hopped  about  a  little,  and  before  long 
flew  several  feet,  alighting  on  a  small  branch  of 
the  same  tree.  Hardly  had  he  established  him- 
self safely  and  resumed  his  ordinary  call,  when 
down  upon  him  from  above  came  a  robin,  who, 
strange  to  say,  had  a  nest  in  one  of  the  upper 
branches  of  the  same  tall  maple.  This  robin 
had  always  recognized  the  right  of  the  oriole 
parents  to  their  share  of  the  tree,  but  the  young 
one  was  a  stranger,  and  he  fell  upon  him  ac- 
cordingly. He  knocked  him  off  his  perch ;  the 
unfortunate  little  fellow  fell  a  few  feet,  then 
gathered  himself,  fluttered  and  caught  at  the 
outside  of  a  clump  of  leaves  on  the  end  of  a 
twig,  where  after  frantic  struggling  he  managed 
to  secure  a  hold.  Perhaps  the  robin  saw  his 
mistake,  for  he  paid  no  more  attention  to  the 


AN  UNNATURAL  INFANT.  11 

new-comer,  who  did  not  stay  long  on  the  tree 
after  this  second  disaster. 

The  next  morning  came  up  out  of  the  nest 
quite  an  unnatural  oriole  baby  —  he  did  not 
cry.  Silently,  he  stepped  out  upon  a  twig,  and 
looked  about  in  the  new  world  around  him. 
He  carefully  .dressed  his  feathers,  and  often  rose 
to  his  full  height  and  stretched  his  legs,  as  if  it 
were  legs  and  not  wings  he  needed  in  his  new 
life.  The  third  scion  of  the  household  had  also 
a  marked  character  of  his  own.  Having  planted 
himself  on  the  threshold,  and  found  it  a  conven- 
ient place  to  intercept  all  food  on  its  way  to  the 
younger  ones  still  unseen,  he  remained.  Every 
time  the  mother  came  with  a  mouthful,  he  flut- 
tered and  coaxed,  and  usually  got  it.  It  was 
too  good  a  situation  to  leave  and  he  seemed  to 
have  settled  for  life  ;  but  his  wings  overpowered 
his  inertia  or  greed,  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon. 

So  long  had  the  third  young  oriole  occupied 
his  position,  that  the  fourth  made  his  appear- 
ance almost  immediately,  as  though  he  had 
been  waiting.  There  does  appear  to  be  some 
regulation  of  this  sort  among  the  orioles,  for  in 
all  that  I  have  noticed,  no  two  ever  came  out 
together  (excepting  once,  when  both  went  back 
almost  instantty,  and  one  returned  alone).  This 
late  coiner  had  not  the  whole  long  sunny  day  to 


12  THE  NUT-HATCH  TRIBE. 

loiter  away,  and  he  flew  in  an  hour.  The  fifth 
and  last  came  up  early  the  next  morning  evi- 
dently in  haste  to  join  the  scattered  family,  for 
he  bade  farewell  to  the  native  tree  in  a  short 
time.  No  more  orioles  appeared  upon  the  ma- 
ple from  this  day,  but  for  two  weeks  I  saw  the 
little  party  about;  the  father,  whom  I  had 
missed  after  the  flight  of  the  first  infant,  work- 
ing like  a  drudge,  with  two  or  three  hungry 
urchins  wherever  he  went,  excepting  when  he 
sought  food  in  the  new-cut  grass  on  the  ground. 
He  gave  us  no  more  songs,  but  his  sweet,  low 
call  sounded  all  day  on  the  place. 

Another  family  of  little  folk  came  upon  the 
maple  after  the  orioles  were  gone,  a  nut-hatch 
tribe.  There  were  three  or  four  of  them 
exactly  like  the  mother  excepting  a  shorter 
tail,  and  they  followed  her  like  a  flock  of  sheep, 
over  and  under  branches,  around  the  trunk,  up 
or  down  or  any  way,  never  pausing  more  than 
an  instant,  not  even  when  she  plumped  a  mor- 
sel into  a  waiting  mouth.  She  led  her  little 
procession  by  her  querulous-sounding  "quank," 
while  they  replied  with  a  low  "  chir-up  "  in  the 
same  tone.  It  was  a  very  funny  sight.  They 
could  fly  nicely,  but  never  seemed  to  think  of 
looking  for  food,  and  it  was  plain  that  the 
busy  little  mother  had  no  time  to  teach  them. 
It  was  interesting  to  see  her  deal  with  a  moth 


A    VICTIM  TO  AMBITION.  13 

which  she  found  napping  on  a  fence.  She  ran 
at  once  to  a  crack  or  some  convenient  hole  in 
the  rough  rail,  thrust  it  in  and  hammered  it 
down.  When  it  was  quiet  she  snipped  off  the 
wings,  dragged  it  out,  and  beat  it  on  the  fence 
till  it  was  fit  for  food,  the  family  meanwhile 
gathered  around  her,  clinging  closely  to  the 
fence,  and  gently  fluttering.  These  nut-hatches 
were  remarkably  silent,  but  some  that  I  once 
saw  living  near  the  top  of  two  or  three  tall 
pines  were  quite  noisy,  and  I  spent  much  time 
trying  to  see  what  they  were  forever  complain- 
ing about.  There  always  seemed  to  be  some 
catastrophe  impending  up  in  that  sky  parlor, 
but  it  never  appeared  to  reach  a  climax. 

Charming  to  watch  is  the  bluebird  nestling  ; 
cheery  and  gentle  like  the  parents,  he  seems 
to  escape  the  period  of  helplessness  that  many 
birds  suffer  from,  perhaps  because  he  is  patient 
enough  to  stay  in  the  nest  till  his  wings  are 
ready  to  use.  The  mocking-bird  baby  has  a 
far  different  time.  Victim  of  a  devouring  am- 
bition that  will  not  let  him  rest  till  either  legs 
or  wings  will  bear  him,  he  scrambles  out  upon 
his  native  tree,  stretches,  plumes  a  little  in  a 
jerky,  hurried  way,  and  then  boldly  launches  out 
in  the  air  —  alas !  —  to  come  flop  to  the  ground, 
where  he  is  an  easy  prey  to  boys  and  cats, 
both  of  whom  are  particularly  fond  of  young 


14  THE   YOUNG  MOCKER. 

mocking-birds.  These  parents  are  wiser  than 
the  crow  blackbirds,  for  not  a  sound  betrays 
the  accident  in  the  family,  unless,  indeed,  the 
little  one  is  disturbed,  when  they  make  noise 
enough.  They  keep  out  of  sight,  no  doubt 
closely  watching  the  straggler  until  he  gets 
away  from  people,  for  although  he  has  proved 
that  he  cannot  fly,  the  young  mocker  is  by  no 
means  discouraged ;  he  trusts  to  his  legs,  and 
usually  at  once  starts  off  on  a  run  "  anywhere, 
anywhere,  out  (in)  the  world."  When  far 
enough  away  for  them  to  feel  safe  in  doing  so, 
the  parents  come  down  and  feed  and  comfort 
the  wanderer,  and  it  is  a  day  or  two  before  his 
wings  are  of  much  use  to  him. 

The  most  imperious  young  bird  I  know  is  the 
robin.  He  is  perfectly  sure  he  has  a  right  to 
attention,  and  he  intends  to  have  it.  If  he  is 
neglected  too  long  and  gets  hungry,  he  calls 
loudly  and  impatiently,  jerking  himself  up  with 
a  ludicrous  air  of  stamping  his  feet.  Even 
when  he  does  condescend  to  go  to  the  lawn 
with  mamma,  it  is  not  to  seek  his  food  —  far 
from  it!  It  is  to  follow  her  around,  and  call 
every  moment  or  two  for  something  to  eat. 
The  idea  that  his  individual  exertions  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  the  food  supply  seems  never 
to  occur  to  him.  He  expects  the  fat  morsels  to 
fall  into  his  mouth  as  they  always  have,  and 


BABY  PEWEES.  15 

why  should  they  not  ?  He  will  soon  be  taught, 
for  even  baby-birds  have  to  be  educated. 

We  have  assumed  in  our  easy-going  way 
that  birds  "  toil  not "  because  they  "  do  not 
spin,"  because  they  have  not  surrounded  them- 
selves with  a  thousand  artificial  wants,  as  we 
have.  But  the  truth  is  that  nobody  can  work 
harder  than  a  pair  of  robins,  for  example,  with 
four  or  five  hungry  mouths  to  fill,  and  every 
mouthful  to  be  hunted  up  as  it  is  wanted.  No 
one  would  guess  what  an  ever-yawning  cavern 
a  baby  robin's  mouth  is,  till  he  has  tried  to 
bring  up  a  nestling  himself.  I  once  kept  two 
small  boys  busy  several  days  at  high  wages, 
digging  worms  for  one  young  bird,  and  then  I 
believe  he  starved  to  death. 

The  training  of  our  winged  neighbors  is  most 
interesting,  but  so  cautiously  carried  on  that 
we  rarely  see  it,  though  we  may  often  hear  the 
robin,  oriole,  whip-poor-will,  and  many  others 
receive  instruction  in  singing.  I  have  once  or 
twice  surprised  young  birds  at  their  lessons,  as 
for  instance,  a  pewee  family  learning  to  hover 
over  the  daisies,  a  beautiful  operation  of  their 
parents  which  I  never  tired  of  watching.  I  was 
behind  a  blind  when  they  came,  a  little  flock 
of  five  or  six.  They  were  very  playful,  and 
kept  near  together,  flying  low  over  the  grass, 
alighting  in  a  row  on  the  edge  of  a  pail,  com* 


16  A  DISMAL  FAILURE. 

ing  up  on  the  clothes-line,  banging  awkwardly 
against  the  house,  and  in  every  way  showing 
ignorance  and  youth.  I  studied  one  for  a  long 
time  as  he  balanced  himself  on  the  clothes-line 
and  looked  off  at  the  antics  of  his  brothers 
trying  to  learn  the  hovering.  One  of  the  par- 
ents flew  out  over  the  tall  flowers,  poising  him- 
self gracefully,  his  body  held  perfectly  erect, 
legs  half  drawn  up,  turning  his  head  this  way 
and  that,  hanging  thus  in  the  air  several  sec- 
onds in  one  spot,  then  suddenly  darting  off  to 
another  like  a  humming-bird.  The  little  ones 
in  a  row  close  together  on  a  low  branch  of  a 
shrub,  looked  on,  and  in  a  moment  two  or  three 
sallied  out  and  tried  the  same  movement. 
They  could  fly  well  enough,  but  when  they 
tried  to  pause  on  wing  the  failure  was  disas- 
trous. Some  tumbled  out  of  sight  into  the 
daisies,  others  recovered  themselves  with  vio- 
lent efforts  and  returned  hastily  to  the  perch, 
complaining  loudly.  Then  the  parents  brought 
food,  and  this  went  on  for  some  time,  while  all 
the  time  the  air  was  full  of  gentle  twitters 
and  calls,  much  baby-talk,  and  a  little  paren- 
tal instruction  no  doubt. 

A  delightful  field  of  work  awaits  the  young 
naturalist  of  to-day.  Our  predecessors  have 
devoted  their  energies  to  classifying  and  arrang- 
ing. They  have  dissected  and  weighed  and 


A  CHARMING  STUDY.  17 

measured  every  part  of  the  little  bodies ;  they 
know  to  a  fraction  the  length  of  wings  and 
tails ;  they  have  pulled  to  pieces  the  nests, 
"  clutched  "  the  eggs,  and  blown  and  mounted 
and  labeled  and  set  up  in  cases  the  whole  ex- 
ternal of  the  little  creatures.  All  that  can  be 
learned  by  violence,  all  the  characteristics 
evolved  by  fear  and  distress  are  duly  set 
down  in  the  books.  You  shall  find  a  catalogue 
of  the  robin's  possessions  in  the  shape  of  feath- 
ers and  bones,  pictures  of  his  internal  anatomy, 
illustrations  of  his  work  in  nest  building,  and 
specimens  in  all  stages,  but  in  the  whole  world 
of  these  books  you  shall  not  find  the  robin. 
The  soul  of  the  robin  has  escaped  them,  it  is 
not  to  be  taken  by  force. 

I  do  not  find  fault ;  it  needed  to  be  done,  but 
happily  —  let  us  hope  —  it  is  done,  and  a  more 
enticing  field  is  now  open,  namely :  to  make 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  birds,  find  out 
how  they  live,  their  manners  and  customs,  and 
their  individual  characters.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  charming  studies  in  the  world,  but  much 
more  is  required  than  a  gun  and  a  little  or 
much  scientific  knowledge.  There  is  infinite 
patience,  perseverance,  untiring  devotion,  and 
more,  —  a  quick  eye  and  ear,  and  a  sympa- 
thetic heart.  If  you  do  not  love  the  birds  you 
cannot  understand  them. 


18  IN  THE  "  UPPER  STORIES." 

This  is  the  pleasant  path  opening  now,  and 
in  some  ways  it  is  particularly  suited  to  woman 
with  her  great  patience  and  quiet  manners. 
Once  interested  in  the  lives  in  the  "  upper 
stories,"  you  will  find  them  most  absorbing ; 
novels  will  pall  upon  you,  fancy  work  seem  friv- 
olous, society  duties  a  bore,  and  talk — loud 
enough  to  interfere  with  listening  —  an  imper- 
tinence. 


BIRD-STUDY  IN  A  SOUTHERN 
STATE. 


He  loved  the  ever  deepening  brown 
Of  summer  twilights  on  the  enchanted  hills ; 
Where  he  might  listen  to  the  starts  and  thrills 
Of  birds  that  sang  and  rustled  in  the  trees, 
Or  watch  the  footsteps  of  the  wandering  breeze, 
And  the  bird's  shadows  as  they  fluttered  by, 
Or  slowly  wheeled  across  the  unclouded  sky. 

RICHARD  WATSON  GILDER. 


II. 

BIRD-STUDY  IN  A  SOUTHERN  STATE. 


THE  most  interesting  experience  in  several 
years  of  bird-study  was  a  trip  to  a  Southern 
State  for  the  purpose  of  making  acquaintance 
with  the  mocking-bird. 

Adventures  began  before  the  lights  of  New 
York  sank  below  the  horizon  ;  adventures  more 
strange  than  agreeable,  for  the  journey  was  by 
steamer.  Hardly  had  we  passed  out  of  the  bay 
when  there  began  a  gentle  roll  which  speedily 
sent  passengers  to  bed.  When  we  passed  Long 
Branch  the  motion  was  a  steady  rock  from  side 
to  side,  that  made  one  feel  like  a  baby  in  a  cra- 
dle, and  before  bedtime  it  was  a  violent  swing 
that  flung  one  about  like  a  toy,  and  tossed  the 
furniture  around  like  doll-house  belongings. 

Holding  on  to  the  side  of  the  berth  with 
both  hands,  I  passed  the  night  listening  to  the 
labored  strokes  of  the  engine  and  the  crashing 
of  the  loosened  freight  in  the  hold,  and  enter- 
tained by  the  eccentric  conduct  of  the  loose  ar- 
ticles in  my  state-room,  a  trunk,  chair,  life-pre- 


22  DANCE   OF  THE  FURNITURE. 

server,  plate,  saucer,  and  teaspoon,  which  with 
one  accord,  and  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do  by 
most  ingenious  wedging,  joined  in  a  peculiar 
dance  between  the  outer  wall  and  the  inner  par- 
tition of  my  room.  At  one  moment  they  rested 
quietly  in  their  several  ways,  against  the  wall ; 
the  steamer  lurched,  and  all  started  madly 
across  the  floor,  the  heavy  things  first,  and 
the  lighter  bringing  up  the  rear,  each  banging 
violently  against  the  partition,  with  thump, 
rattle,  or  jingle  according  to  its  nature,  then  in 
a  moment  dashing  back  so  furiously  that  I 
feared  to  see  the  thin  planks  yield  and  iny 
trunk  go  out  to  sea  by  itself.  Not  that  I  cared 
for  my  trunk  —  my  life  was  the  subject  that  in- 
terested me  at  the  time.  Outside,  too,  the  doors 
and  blinds  rattled,  the  tiller-chain  chattered 
and  wailed  and  sobbed  like  a  woman  in  distress, 
and  above  all  other  sounds  rose  the  dismal 
fog  horn,  for  a  pall  of  mist  had  settled  over  us. 
Day  differed  from  night  only  in  being  light, 
for  the  sole  prospect  from  the  guards  was  one 
moment  the  fog  above,  where  the  sky  should 
be,  the  next  the  depths  of  the  sea  yawning  as 
if  to  receive  the  ship  into  its  bosom.  In  this 
manner,  during  two  days  and  three  nights,  we 
rolled  on  to  our  destination,  and  for  days  after 
my  feet  touched  blessed  Mother  Earth  I  reeled 
and  staggered  like  a  drunken  man. 


THE  SALT  MARSH.  23 

After  the  storm,  the  calm.  There  followed 
upon  this  rough  voyage  weeks  of  quiet,  delight- 
ful bird-study,  whose  long  sunny  days  were 
passed  in  the  fragrant  depths  of  pine  groves, 
under  arching  forest  of  sweet-gum  trees,  or  on 
the  shore  of  the  salt  marsh ;  but  wherever,  or 
however,  always  following  and  spying  out  the 
ways  of  the  feathered  world. 

The  bird  of  the  South  —  the  mocking-bird, 
was  the  first  object  of  study.  By  day  he  was 
watched  and  noted,  during  the  long  twilight  he 
was  listened  to,  and  at  midnight  sleep  was  often 
banished  by  his  wonderful  and  enchanting 
voice.  Gray  and  inconspicuous  in  coloring,  we 
all  know  him  in  the  cage  ;  but  how  different  in 
freedom  !  how  wild  and  bewitching  his  song ! 
how  wise  and  knowing  his  ways !  how  well 
worth  weeks  of  study  is  this  one  bird ! 

Here  were  dozens  of  other  birds  also.  What 
keen  delight  to  one  fresh  from  the  town,  to 
look  over  the  marsh  where 

"  Leagues  and  leagues  of  marsh  grass,  waist  high,  broad  in 

the  blade, 
Green  and  all  of  a  height,  and  unflecked  with  a  light  or  a 

shade, 

Stretch  leisurely  off  in  a  pleasant  plain 
To  the  terminal  blue  of  the  main  ; " 

bo  watch  the  great  snowy  heron  sweeping  over 
with    broad    white    wing,  tripping   gracefully 


24  MARSH  BIRDS. 

about  on  the  edges  of  the  channels,  and  toward 
night  betaking  itself  to  a  line  of  trees  in  the 
distance,  that  looked  as  if  full  of  snowy  blos- 
soms that  moved  and  changed  about  and  at  last 
settled  for  the  night ;  to  see  the  bald  eagle 
catch  a  big  fish  and  call  his  mate  to  help  him 
eat  it;  to  watch  the  lesser  tern  hover  with 
yellow  bill  pointed  downward  and  sharp  eye 
fixed  on  the  water,  and  at  length  stiffen  his 
wings  and  dive  head  first  into  it,  bringing  out 
his  prey,  and  filling  the  air  with  cries  in  a  com- 
plaining, squealing  tone  that  always  reminds 
one  of  a  young  pig ;  to  gaze  fascinated  at  the 
bewitching  flight  of  the  ring-plover,  sweeping 
low  over  the  water  in  a  small  flock,  now  almost 
invisible  as  the  sombre-colored  backs  turn 
toward  you,  now  suddenly  flashing  bright  as 
silver  when  the  breasts  come  into  sight,  moving 
in  perfect  unison  as  if  impelled  by  one  will. 
More,  many  more  birds  of  the  marsh  attract 
and  draw  one,  but  inland  is  the  mocking-bird, 
and  after  a  walk  along  the  shore,  always  my 
feet  turned  to  the  groves  and  the  fields  where 
the  matchless  bird  lives  his  life. 

To  see,  as  well  as  hear  a  wild  mocking-bird 
sing,  is  worth  a  journey,  even  over  the  rolling 
deep.  I  passed  hours  in  a  pleasant  grove  be- 
yond the  gardens  and  fields,  watching  and  lis- 
tening to  one  bird  whose  concert  hall  it  was. 


A  SUN-WORSHIPER.  25 

The  grove  was  the  audience  room  where  one 
might  be  in  the  shade  and  not  too  conspicuous 
in  watching  him.  His  chosen  place  was  in  the 
sunshine,  for  this  bird  is  a  sun-worshiper.  I 
always  found  him  singing  when  I  reached  the 
spot.  Perhaps  on  the  top  spike  of  a  young 
pine-tree,  balanced  on  one,  or  sometimes  on 
two  adjoining  top  twigs  —  which  of  course 
stand  straight  up  —  stood  the  singer,  madly 
shouting  his  most  peculiar  medley.  He  looked 
at  me  as  I  passed  near  his  perch,  but  did  not 
pause  in  his  song.  After  I  had  taken  my  seat 
he  flew  —  singing  as  he  went  —  alighted  nearer, 
on  the  upper  sprig  of  a  cedar,  turned  his  eyes 
upon  me,  and  treated  me  to  another  perform- 
ance, while  I  looked  and  listened  enchanted. 

Nor  was  I  the  only  listener.  Ever  and  anon 
while  absorbed  in  the  entertainment,  or  waiting, 
breathless,  for  a  new  note,  I  was  startled  by  a 
rustle,  and  a  low  "  Good  evenin'  Missis,"  and 
glanced  up  to  see  a  negro  stealing  along  in  a 
stealthy  way.  It  might  be  a  woman  with  a 
big  bundle  or  basket  on  her  head,  possibly  a 
slouching  young  man  or  "  boy  "  with  an  air  of 
interest  in  my  eccentric  proceedings,  or  a  group 
of  youngsters  with  nothing  particular  to  do, 
but  one  and  all  perfectly  silent  in  movement. 
No  wonder  they  know  all  about  the  birds,  and 
lay  violent  hands  on  eggs,  nests,  or  nestlings  as 


26  NEST  ROBBERS. 

they  choose,  creeping  around  as  they  do  with- 
out a  sound.  It  is  only  surprising  that  a  bird 
is  left  in  the  State,  so  persistently  do  they  rob 
the  nests.  Naturally  the  mocking-bird,  for  which 
they  can  always  find  purchasers,  is  the  most 
desirable,  and  white  as  well  as  black  persecute 
that  bird  unceasingly. 

"  You  can't  keep  them  from  the  negroes,"  said 
a  young  white  man.  "  I  've  often  been  watching 
a  nest  to  get  the  young  ones  myself,  but  some 
nig  was  sure  to  take  it  before  me." 

Speaking  of  negroes,  I  never  saw  so  many 
idle  men  and  grown  boys.  Not  a  spot  could  be 
found  so  secluded  that  one  or  more  did  not  soon 
make  his  appearance.  Selecting  the  quiet  yard 
of  a  summer  cottage,  a  deserted-looking  place 
not  yet  opened  for  the  season,  in  which  to  study 
the  ways  of  the  birds  in  peace,  I  was  often 
disturbed  by  a  negro  passing  across  the  lawn, 
taking  no  heed  of  fences,  for  there 's  no  sort  of 
a  fence  in  that  country  that  they  will  not  pass 
over  as  if  it  were  not  there.  Of  course  this 
always  put  to  flight  the  dramatis  persons  of 
my  study.  One  day  an  interesting  (or  inter- 
ested) person  of  color  appeared  on  the  scene 
equipped  for  white-washing,  and  proceeded  to 
adorn  tree  trunks,  fences,  buildings,  etc.,  etc., 
relieving  his  labors  by  questioning  me  about 
northern  manners  and  customs.  On  another 


A  LOVELY  NOOK.  27 

occasion  when  I  was  looking  anxiously  to  see  a 
certain  family  of  nestlings  make  exit  from  the 
nest,  a  building  that  I  supposed  to  be  a  shut-up 
store-room  was  thrown  open,  a  wash-tub  appeared 
before  the  door,  and  I  found  that  a  family  of 
eight,  including  four  children,  had  moved  in, 
not  thirty  feet  from  my  chosen  seat,  and  of 
course  to  the  utter  destruction  of  any  seclusion. 

I  could  not  select  a  single  spot  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, favorable  to  quiet  study,  without  hav- 
ing it  made  desolate  or  turned  into  a  thorough- 
fare. The  loveliest  place  I  found  at  all  was  a 
footpath  passing  for  about  fifty  feet  through  a 
fringe  of  low  cedar,  sweet  gum  trees,  and  shrubs 
loaded  with  pink  lily-of-the-valley  shaped  blos- 
soms. Across  the  path  ran  a  brooklet,  a  mere 
thread  of  water,  so  shallow  that  small  birds 
stood  in  the  middle  to  bathe,  though  it  deepened 
into  a  pool  below,  where  frogs  croaked  and 
plunged.  It  was  cool ;  it  was  quiet,  far  from 
the  everywhere  present  negro  hut ;  there  was  no 
sound  but  the  trickle  of  the  streamlet  as  it  fell 
into  the  pool,  and  the  softened  roar  of  the  ocean 
beyond  the  wide  salt  marsh. 

To  this  nook  I  went  every  day,  always  trying 
to  surprise  the  birds  at  their  usual  occupations, 
but  never  quite  succeeding ;  for  steal  in  quietly 
as  I  might  I  always  heard  low  remarks,  a  slight 
flutter  of  wings,  and  usually  saw  a  dark  form 


28  A  CALL  FROM  BOB   WHITE. 

or  two  departing  near  the  ground  behind  some 
shrub.  Slowly  and  quietly,  however,  I  took  my 
seat  on  a  bank  close  under  a  thick  bush,  — 
while  the  silence  around  me  was  as  profound  as 
if  no  wing  had  ever  fluttered  there,  —  and  be- 
came as  motionless  as  circumstances  would  al- 
low, for  beside  the  birds  there  were  other  tenants 
not  half  so  shy. 

After  a  few  moments,  when  the  ripple  I 
caused  had  died  away,  sounds  of  life  began 
again ;  unknown  water  creatures  made  queer 
noises  in  the  pool  below,  low  bird  tones,  unfa- 
miliar scraps  of  song  fell  on  the  ear,  ordinary 
ways  were  resumed. 

In  this  pleasant  place  I  made  acquaintance 
with  the  painted-finch,  or  nonpareil,  who  was 
least  frightened  of  the  small  birds,  and  stood  pa- 
tiently on  a  cedar  twig  till  I  became  quiet,  then 
came  down  in  plain  sight,  waded  up  to  the  tops 
of  his  firm  little  legs  in  the  water,  and  deliber- 
ately took  his  bath  before  my  very  face.  Here 
also  I  had  a  call  from  Bob  White,  who  cau- 
tiously lifted  a  striped  cap  and  a  very  bright 
eye  above  the  grass  tops  to  look  at  me.  He  did 
not  introduce  himself ;  indeed,  after  a  moment's 
steady  gaze  his  head  dropped  and  I  saw  him  no 
more,  but  I  heard  him  rustle  in  the  grass  on 
the  way  to  the  strawberries,  of  which  he  de- 
mands —  and  gets  —  his  share. 


TRAGEDIES  OF   THE  NESTS.  29 

Ruin  fell  upon  this  charming  retreat  in  this 
wise.  One  day  on  my  approach  I  saw  commo- 
tion in  the  shrubs  and  two  negroes  at  work 
chopping  great  branches  out  on  each  side  of  the 
path,  letting  in  the  sun  to  my  bank,  and  turn- 
ing it  into  a  hideous  wreck.  I  protested. 

44  Why  is  this  ?     What  are  you  doing  ?  " 

"Oh,  we  're  just  cuttin'  some  pea-poles !"  they 
replied  calmly.  They  had  been  too  lazy  or  too 
indifferent  to  step  ten  feet  on  one  side  into  the 
thicker  copse,  and  leave  the  pretty  path  in  its 
beauty,  and  the  mischief  was  done,  and  after  all 
it  was  not  my  business.  I  passed  on. 

Bird-study  has  other  annoyances  in  that  part 
of  the  world  beside  the  human  beings  of  whom 
I  have  spoken.  Next,  perhaps,  are  the  suffer- 
ings which  wring  the  heart  all  the  while.  John 
Burroughs  has  written  the  tragedies  of  the 
nests ;  he  could  add  a  chapter  more  tragical  than 
all,  should  he  visit  the  haunts  of  the  mocking- 
bird. Nothing  can  be  more  dreadful  than  the 
systematic  and  persistent  war  made  upon  this 
bird,  of  which  nevertheless  every  Southerner  is 
proud. 

Lastly,  the  hindrances  which  Dame  Nature 
herself  throws  around  her  mysteries.  There 
are  the  prickly  pears,  sowed  broadcast  over  the 
land  so  thickly  that  one  can  hardly  avoid  step- 
ping on  them,  with  thorns  sharp  as  needles,  and 


30  QUEER  STORIES. 

•\s  long.  One  of  an  inch  in  length  that  I  had 
he  curiosity  to  examine  had  forty-five  thorns, 
equal  to  two  papers  of  number  six  sharps,  that 
stuck  out  in  every  direction,  and  would  pass 
through  an  ordinary  shoe  with  perfect  ease. 
This  interesting  vegetable  has  no  local  attach- 
ments whatever,  and  readily  clings  to  any  part 
of  one's  garment. 

Then  there  are  the  mosquitoes  with  which  the 
same  careful  mother  peoples  the  groves,  even  in 
April,  industrious  little  creatures  not  in  the 
least  enervated  by  the  climate.  But  her  grand 
dependence,  judiciously  settled  indeed,  is  on  the 
sand  flies.  Wherever  there  is  not  a  howling 
gale  —  there  are  the  flies  in  millions,  most  inde- 
fatigable and  maddening  of  pests.  And  finally, 
to  take  home  with  you,  to  remind  you  pleas- 
antly of  her  hospitalities  when  you  have  reached 
your  own  room,  is  the  tick ! 

Ties  from  the  outer  world  began  at  last  to 
draw.  The  birdlings  in  the  nest  were  not  ready 
to  come  out,  and  growing  impatient  I  drew 
upon  the  knowledge  —  or  rather  the  ignorance 
—  of  the  residents  and  heard  some  surprising 
statements,  which  further  observation,  however, 
did  not  confirm.  That  the  mocking-bird  baby 
lives  for  three  weeks  in  the  nest ;  that  part  of 
that  time  the  parents  carry  the  nestlings  about 
on  their  backs ;  that  when  old  enough  the  young 


BIRDS  AND  STRAWBERRIES.  31 

are  pushed  out  of  their  nest,  and  always  fall  to 
the  ground. 

And  the  authors  of  these  fables  were  grown- 
up, and  had  passed  their  lives  among  the  mock- 
ing-birds. I  curbed  my  impatience,  stayed  an- 
other week,  and  saw  all  the  nestlings  out,  and 
the  nest  deserted. 

Another  charge  also  fell  to  the  ground  on 
careful  observation.  The  farmers  complain  — 
as  farmers  are  apt  to  complain  of  their  best 
friends,  the  birds  —  that  the  mocking-bird  eats 
strawberries.  I  set  myself  to  watch  a  fine  patch 
full  of  ripe  and  tempting  berries,  several  times 
when  no  one  was  near.  Many  birds  came  about, 
mocking-birds,  crows,  king-birds,  orchard  ori- 
oles, and  others.  The  mocking-birds  ran  down 
between  the  rows  of  vines  catching  grasshop- 
pers, the  crows  did  the  same  service,  walking 
with  dignity.  The  king-birds  chased  flies,  the 
orioles  searched  the  fruit  trees  for  insects.  One 
.and  all  were  working  in  the  interest  of  the 
strawberry  grower.  And  while  I  watched,  an 
hour  or  more  at  a  time,  not  even  for  dessert 
after  filling  their  stomachs  with  insects,  did  one 
take  a  berry,  which  I  am  sure  they  might  be 
considered  to  have  earned. 

I  know  one  lady  —  would  there  were  more 
like  her  —  who  owns  a  garden  on  Long  Island, 
and  when  her  gardener  comes  in  and  says  some- 


32  A   WISE    WOMAN. 

thing  must  be  done  to  prevent  the  birds  de- 
stroying fruit,  calmly  says :  "  Certainly,  set  out 
another  row  of  plants.  Let  us  have  enough 
for  the  birds  by  all  means,  and  for  ourselves 
too." 


THE  MOCKING-BIRD'S  NEST. 


Whate'er  birds  did  or  dreamed,  this  bird  could  say. 

Then  down  he  shot,  bounced  airily  along 

The  sward,  twitched  in  a  grasshopper,  made  song 

Midflight,  perched,  prinked,  and  to  his  art  again. 

Sweet  Science,  this  large  riddle  read  me  plain : 

How  may  the  death  of  that  dull  insect  be 

The  life  of  yon  trim  Shakespeare,  on  the  tree  ? 

SIDNEY  LANIER. 


III. 

THE   MOCKING-BIRD'S  NEST. 


"  Superb  and  sole  upon  a  plumed  spray 
That  o'er  the  general  leafage  boldly  grew/' 

as  literally  as  though  Lanier  had  sketched  that 
particular  bird,  stood  the  first  free  mocking- 
bird I  ever  heard.  His  perch  was  the  topmost 
twig  of  the  tallest  tree  in  the  group.  It  was  a 
cedar,  perhaps  fifteen  feet  high,  around  which 
a  jasmine  vine  had  clambered,  and  that  morn- 
ing opened  a  cluster  of  fragrant  blossoms  at  his 
feet,  as  though  an  offering  to  the  most  noted 
singer  on  our  side  of  the  globe.  As  I  drew 
near  he  turned  his  clear,  bright  eye  upon  me, 
and  sang  a  welcome  to  North  Carolina ;  and 
several  hours  later,  when  the  moon  rose  high 
over  the  waters  of  the  Sound,  he  completed  his 
perfect  performance  with  a  serenade,  the  like 
of  which  I  fear  I  may  never  hear  again.  I 
chose  to  consider  his  attentions  personal,  be- 
cause, of  all  the  household,  I  am  sure  I  was  the 
only  one  who  listened,  and  I  had  passed  over 
many  miles  of  rolling  and  tossing  ocean  to 
make  his  acquaintance. 


36  IN  HIS  DOMESTIC  RELATIONS. 

Nothing  would  have  been  easier,  or  more 
delightful,  than  to  pitch  one's  tent  in  a  certain 
pine  grove  not  far  away,  and  pass  days  and 
weeks  in  forgetting  the  world  of  cares,  and 
reading  favorite  books,  lulled  at  all  hours  of 
day  and  night  by  the  softened  roar  of  the 
ocean  and  the  wonderful  bird 

"  Singing  the  song  of  everything, 
Consummate  sweet,  and  calm." 

But  it  was  not  merely  as  singer  that  I  wished 
to  know  him ;  nor  to  watch  his  dainty  and 
graceful  ways  as  he  went  about  the  daily  duties 
of  food -hunting,  singing,  and  driving  off  ma- 
rauders, which  occupied  his  hours  from  dawn 
to  late  evening,  and  left  him  spirit  enough  for 
many  a  midnight  rhapsody.  It  was  in  his 
domestic  relations  that  I  desired  to  see  him,  — 
the  wooing  of  the  bride  and  building  the  nest, 
the  training  of  mocking-bird  babies  and  start- 
ing them  in  the  world;  and  no  loitering  and 
dreaming  in  the  pine  grove,  however  tempting, 
would  tell  me  this.  I  must  follow  him  to  his 
more  secluded  retreats,  see  where  he  had  set 
up  his  homestead. 

Thoreau  —  or  is  it  Emerson  ?  —  says  one  al- 
ways finds  what  he  looks  for,  and  of  course  I 
found  my  nests.  One  pair  of  birds  I  noticed 
through  the  courtship,  the  selection  of  the  site, 
the  building  and  occupying  of  the  nest]  an- 


A  FRIENDLY  MOCKING-BIRD.  37 

other  couple,  already  sitting  when  discovered, 
I  watched  through  the  incubation  and  nursing 
of  the  little  ones,  and  at  last  assisted  in  giving 
them  a  fair  chance  for  their  lives  and  a  start 
in  the  world.  It  may  be  thought  that  my  as- 
sistance was  not  particularly  valuable ;  the  birds 
shared  this  opinion ;  none  the  less,  but  for  my 
presence  not  one  of  those  birdlings  would  be 
free  and  happy  to-day,  as  I  hope  and  believe 
they  are.  To  the  study  of  these  two  house- 
holds I  gave  nearly  every  hour  of  daylight,  in 
all  weathers,  for  a  month,  and  of  the  life  that 
went  on  in  and  around  them  I  can  speak  from 
personal  knowledge  ;  beyond  that,  and  at  other 
times  in  his  life,  I  do  not  profess  to  know  the 
mocking-bird. 

The  bird  whose  nest-making  I  witnessed  was 
the  one  whose  performance  I  chose  to  consider 
a  welcome,  and  his  home  was  in  the  pine  grove, 
a  group  of  about  twenty  trees,  left  from  the 
original  forest  possibly,  at  any  rate  nearly  a 
hundred  feet  high,  with  all  branches  near  the 
top,  as  though  they  had  grown  in  close  woods. 
They  were  quite  scattering  now,  and  lower 
trees  and  shrubs  flourished  in  their  shade,  mak- 
ing a  charming  spot,  and  a  home  worthy  even 
of  this  superb  songster.  The  bird  himself  was 
remarkably  friendly.  Seeming  to  appreciate 
my  attitude  of  admiring  listener,  he  often 


38  BIRD   WOOING. 

perched  on  the  peak  of  a  low  roof  (separated 
only  by  a  carriage  drive  from  the  upper  "gal- 
lery "  where  I  sat),  and  sang  for  hours  at  a 
time,  with  occasional  lunches;  or,  as  Lanier, 
his  most  ardent  lover,  has  it,  — 

"  Then  down  he  shot,  bounced  airily  along 
The  sward,  twitched  in  a  grasshopper,  made  song 
Midflight,  perched,  prinked,  and  to  his  art  again." 

Whatever  he  did,  his  eyes  were  upon  me;  he 
came  to  the  corner  nearest  me  to  sing,  and  was 
so  intelligent  in  look  and  bearing  that  I  believe 
he  liked  a  quiet  listener. 

His  wooing,  however,  the  bird  did  not  intend 
me  to  see,  though  two  or  three  times  I  surprised 
him  at  it.  The  first  part  that  I  chanced  upon 
was  curious  and  amusing.  A  female,  probably 
the  "beloved  object,"  stood  demurely  on  one 
of  the  dead  top  branches  of  a  large  tree  down 
in  the  garden,  while  her  admirer  performed 
fantastic  evolutions  in  the  air  about  her.  No 
flycatcher  ever  made  half  the  eccentric  move- 
ments this  aerial  acrobat  indulged  in.  He  flew 
straight  up  very  high,  executing  various  extraor- 
dinary turns  and  gyrations,  so  rapidly  they 
could  not  be  followed  and  described,  and  came 
back  singing ;  in  a  moment  he  departed  in  an- 
other direction,  and  repeated  the  grotesque 
performance.  He  was  plainly  exerting  himself 
to  be  agreeable  and  entertaining,  in  mocking- 


MOCKING-BIRD  DANCE.  39 

bird  style,  and  I  noticed  that  every  time  he 
returned  from  an  excursion  he  perched  a  little 
nearer  his  audience  of  one,  until,  after  some 
time,  he  stood  upon  the  same  twig,  a  few  inches 
from  her.  They  were  facing  and  apparently 
trying  to  stare  each  other  out  of  countenance ; 
and  as  I  waited,  breathless,  to  see  what  would 
happen  next,  the  damsel  coquettishly  flitted  to 
another  branch.  Then  the  whole  scene  was 
repeated;  the  most  singular  and  graceful  evo- 
lutions, the  songs,  and  the  gradual  approach. 
Sometimes,  after  alighting  on  a  top  twig,  he 
dropped  down  through  the  branches,  singing, 
in  a  way  to  suggest  the  "  dropping  song "  so 
graphically  described  by  Maurice  Thompson, 
but  never  really  falling,  and  never  touching 
the  ground.  Each  performance  ended  in  his 
reaching  the  twig  which  she  occupied  and  her 
flight  to  another,  until  at  last,  by  some  appar- 
ently mutual  agreement,  both  flew,  and  I  saw 
no  more. 

A  remarkable  "dance"  which  I  also  saw, 
with  the  same  bird  as  principal  actor,  seems  to 
me  another  phase  of  the  wooing,  though  I  must 
say  it  resembled  a  war-dance  as  well ;  but  love 
is  so  like  war  among  the  lower  orders,  even  of 
men,  that  it  is  hard  to  distinguish  between 
them.  I  shall  not  try  to  decide,  only  to  relate, 
and,  I  beg  to  say,  without  the  smallest  exag- 


40  A  STATELY  MINUET. 

geration.  The  dances  I  saw  were  strictly  pas- 
de-deux,  and  they  always  began  by  a  flash  of 
wings  and  two  birds  alighting  on  the  grass, 
about  a  foot  apart.  Both  instantly  drew  them- 
selves up  perfectly  erect,  tail  elevated  at  an 
angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  and  wings  held 
straight  down  at  the  sides.  Then  followed  a 
most  droll  dance.  Number  one  stood  like  a 
statue,  while  number  two  pranced  around,  with 
short,  mincing  steps  and  dainty  little  hops 
which  did  not  advance  him  an  inch ;  first  he 
passed  down  the  right,  then  turned  and  went 
down  the  left,  all  in  the  queer,  unnatural  man- 
ner of  short  hops  and  steps,  and  holding  himself 
rigidly  erect,  while  number  one  always  faced 
the  dancer,  whichever  way  he  turned.  After  a 
few  moments  of  this  movement,  number  one 
decided  to  participate,  and  when  his  partner 
moved  to  the  right  he  did  the  same ;  to  the  left 
he  still  accompanied  him,  always  facing,  and 
maintaining  the  exact  distance  from  him.  Then 
number  two  described  a  circle  around  number 
one,  who  turned  to  face  him  with  short  hops 
where  he  stood.  Next  followed  a  chass£  of 
both  birds  to  the  right ;  then  a  separation,  one 
dancing  to  the  right  and  the  other  to  the  left, 
always  facing,  and  always  slowly  and  with  dig- 
nity. This  stately  minuet  they  kept  up  for 
some  time,  and  appeared  so  much  like  a  pair 


LOVE  OR   WAR?  41 

of  old-fashioned  human  dancers  that  when,  on 
one  occasion,  number  two  varied  the  perform- 
ance by  a  spring  over  the  head  of  his  partner, 
I  was  startled,  as  if  an  old  gentleman  had  sud- 
denly hopped  over  the  head  of  the  grand  dame 
his  vis-d-vis.  When  this  strange  new  figure 
was  introduced,  number  one  proved  equal  to 
the  emergency,  hopping  backward,  and  turning 
so  dexterously  that  when  his  partner  alighted 
they  were  facing,  and  about  a  foot  apart,  as 
before.  The  object  of  all  this  was  very  uncer- 
tain to  a  looker-on.  It  might  be  the  approaches 
of  love,  and  quite  as  probably  the  wary  be- 
ginnings of  war,  and  the  next  feature  of  the 
programme  was  not  explanatory;  they  rose  to- 
gether in  the  air  ten  feet  or  more,  face  to  face, 
fluttering  and  snatching  at  each  other,  appar- 
ently trying  to  clinch ;  succeeding  in  doing  so, 
they  fell  to  the  ground,  separated  just  before 
they  touched  it,  and  flew  away.  O  wings! 
most  maddening  to  a  bird-student. 

It  was  not  very  long  after  these  performances, 
which  seem  to  me  to  belong  to  the  courtship 
period,  when  I  noticed  that  my  bird  had  won 
his  bride,  and  they  were  busy  house-hunting. 
The  place  they  apparently  preferred,  and  at 
last  fixed  upon,  was  at  an  unusual  height 
for  mocking-birds,  near  the  top  of  one  of  the 
tall  pines,  and  I  was  no  less  surprised  than 


42     NEST-BUILDING   UNDER  DIFFICULTIES. 

pleased  to  see  them  lay  the  foundation  of  their 
home  in  that  spot.  I  congratulated  myself  that 
at  least  one  brood  in  North  Carolina  would 
have  a  chance  to  come  to  maturity  and  be 
free;  and  so  persistent  is  the  warfare  waged 
against  this  bird  —  unfortunately  marketable  at 
any  stage  from  the  egg  —  that  I  almost  doubt 
if  another  will.  The  day  after  they  began 
building  a  northwest  storm  set  in,  and  for  three 
days  we  had  high  winds  and  cold  weather.  In 
spite  of  this,  the  brave  birds  persevered,  and 
finished  their  nest  during  those  three  days,  al- 
though much  of  the  time  they  made  infrequent 
trips.  It  was  really  most  touching  to  watch 
them  at  their  unnatural  task,  and  remember 
that  nothing  but  the  cruelty  of  man  forced 
them  to  it  (one  nest  had  been  destroyed).  Their 
difficulty  was  to  get  up  against  the  wind,  and, 
having  little  experience  in  flying  upward,  they 
made  the  natural  mistake  of  starting  from  the 
foot  of  their  chosen  tree.  Sometimes,  at  first, 
they  flew  with  the  body  almost  perpendicular ; 
and  afterwards,  when  they  held  the  body  in 
proper  position,  they  wished  to  go  so  directly 
up  that  they  turned  the  head  back  over  the 
shoulder  to  see  where  they  were  going.  The 
wind,  too,  beat  them  far  out  of  their  course, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  alight  and  rest,  occa- 
sionally being  forced  to  cling  to  the  trunk  of  a 


NO  MORE  FAMILIARITIES.  43 

tree  to  recover  breath  and  strength  to  go  on. 
They  never  attempted  to  make  the  whole  as- 
cent at  once,  but  always  stopped  four  or  five 
times,  perching  on  the  ends  of  fallen  branches, 
of  which  there  were  eight  or  ten  below  the 
living  part  of  the  pine.  Even  when  no  wind 
disturbed  them,  they  made  these  pauses  on  the 
way,  and  it  was  always  a  hard  task  to  reach 
the  top.  They  learned,  after  a  few  days,  how- 
ever, to  begin  their  ascent  at  a  distance,  and 
not  approach  the  tree  till  at  least  half  as  high 
as  they  wished  to  go,  which  simplified  the  mat- 
ter very  much.  It  was  beautiful  to  see  them, 
upon  reaching  the  lowest  of  the  living  branches, 
bound  gayly  up,  as  though  over  a  winding  stair, 
to  the  particular  spot  they  had  fixed  upon. 

During  the  building  I  missed  the  daily  music 
of  the  singer.  Occasionally  he  alighted  on  the 
roof,  looked  over  at  me,  and  bubbled  out  a  few 
notes,  as  much  as  to  say,  "You  must  excuse 
me  now ;  I  am  very  busy ;  "  but  all  the  time  I 
hoped  that  while  sitting  was  going  on  I  should 
have  him  back.  I  reckoned  ignorantly;  I  did 
not  know  my  bird.  No  sooner  was  he  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  house  and  family  than  he  suddenly 
became  very  wary.  No  more  solos  on  the  roof; 
no  more  confidential  remarks;  no  more  famil- 
iarities of  any  sort.  Now  he  must  beware  of 
human  beings,  and  even  when  on  the  grass  he 


44  HE   GREW  BELLIGERENT. 

held  himself  very  erect,  wings  straight  down, 
every  instant  on  guard.  His  happiness  de- 
manded expression  in  song,  certainly,  but  in- 
stead of  confining  himself  to  the  roof  he  circled 
the  lawn,  which  was  between  two  and  three 
hundred  feet  wide.  If  he  began  in  a  group  of 
cedars  on  the  right,  he  sang  awhile  there,  then 
flew  to  the  fence  next  the  road  without  a  pause 
in  the  music,  and  in  a  few  minutes  passed  to 
the  group  of  pines  at  the  left,  perched  on  a 
dead  branch,  and  finished  his  song  there.  It 
was  most  tantalizing,  though  I  could  but  admit 
it  a  proof  of  intelligence. 

Another  change  appeared  in  the  bird  with 
the  advent  of  family  cares :  he  was  more  bellig^ 
erent;  he  drove  the  bluebird  off  the  lawn,  he 
worried  the  tufted  titmouse  when  it  chanced  to 
alight  on  his  tree,  and  in  the  most  offensive 
way  claimed  ownership  of  pine-trees,  lawn,  and 
all  the  fence  bordering  the  same.  Neighboring 
mocking-birds  disputed  his  claim,  and  many  a 
furious  chase  took  place  among  the  trees.  (So 
universal  is  their  habit  of  insisting  upon  exclu- 
sive right  to  certain  grounds  that  two  mocking- 
birds are  never  found  nesting  very  near  each 
other,  in  that  part  of  the  country.  This  I  was 
assured,  and  found  it  true  of  those  I  observed.) 
These  little  episodes  in  his  life  kept  the  pine- 
tree  bird  from  dullness,  while  his  mate  was  en- 


A  LIVELY  FROLIC.  45 

gaged  in  the  top  of  the  tall  pine,  where,  by  the 
way,  he  went  now  and  then  to  see  how  she  was 
getting  on.  Sometimes  his  spouse  received  him 
amiably,  but  occasionally,  I  regret  to  say,  I 
heard  a  "  huff  "  from  the  nest  that  said  plainly, 
"  Don't  you  touch  those  eggs ! "  And  what 
was  amusing,  he  acknowledged  her  right  to 
dictate  in  the  matter,  and  meekly  took  his  de- 
parture. Whenever  she  came  down  for  a  lunch, 
he  saw  her  instantly,  and  was  ready  for  a  frolic. 
He  dropped  to  the  grass  near  her,  and  they 
usually  indulged  in  a  lively  romp,  chasing  each 
other  over  and  through  the  trees,  across  the 
yard,  around  the  garden,  and  back  to  the  lawn, 
where  she  went  on  with  her  eating,  and  he  re- 
sumed his  singing. 

While  I  was  watching  the  pine-tree  house- 
hold, the  other  nest,  in  the  top  of  a  low,  flat- 
topped  cedar,  perhaps  twenty-five  feet  high,  and 
profusely  fringed  with  Spanish  moss,  became  of 
even  more  interest.  I  could  not  see  into  the  nest, 
for  there  was  no  building  high  enough  to  over- 
look it,  but  I  could  see  the  bird  when  he  stood 
upon  the  edge.  Sitting,  in  a  warm  climate,  is 
not  particularly  close  work.  Although  the 
weather  was  cool,  yet  when  the  sun  was  out  the 
sitter  left  her  nest  from  six  to  eight  minutes  at 
a  time,  and  as  often  as  once  in  twenty  minutes. 
Of  course  in  rain  she  had  not  so  much  liberty, 


46  THE  YOUNGSTERS  OUT. 

and  on  some  days  left  only  when  her  mate  was 
ready  to  take  her  place,  which  he  frequently 
did. 

On  the  ninth  day  of  my  watching  (I  had 
not  seen  the  beginning  of  the  sitting),  the  3d 
of  May,  I  found  work  was  over  and  the  young- 
sters were  out.  There  was  much  excitement 
in  the  cedar-tree,  but  in  a  quiet  way;  in  fact, 
the  birds  became  so  silent  and  so  wary  in 
approaching  the  nest  that  it  required  the  closest 
watching  to  see  them  go  or  come,  and  only 
occasionally  could  I  detect  any  food  in  the  beak. 
I  discovered  very  soon  that  mocking-bird  babies 
are  brought  up  on  hygienic  principles,  and  have 
their  meals  with  great  regularity.  For  some 
time  both  parents  were  exceedingly  busy, 
going  and  coming  almost  constantly ;  then 
there  came  a  rest  of  a  half  hour  or  more,  dur- 
ing which  no  food  was  brought.  Each  bird  had 
its  own  way  of  coming  to  the  tree.  Madam 
came  over  the  roof  of  the  cottage  where  I  sat, 
and  was  exposed  to  view  for  only  a  few  feet, 
over  which  she  passed  so  quickly  and  silently 
that  I  had  to  be  constantly  on  the  alert  to  see 
her  at  all.  The  singer  had  another  way,  and 
by  rising  behind  a  hickory-tree  beyond  the 
cedar  managed  to  keep  a  screen  of  branches 
between  him  and  myself  nearly  every  foot  of 
the  way.  I  could  see  them  both  almost  every 


IN  THE  RdLE  OF  A  PROVIDENCE.  47 

time,  but  I  could  not  always  tell  whether  they 
carried  food.  Now  the  bluebird,  honest  soul, 
always  stops  in  plain  sight  to  rest,  with  his 
mouth  full  of  dainties  for  his  young  brood,  and 
a  robin  will  stand  staring  at  one  for  two  minutes 
with  three  or  four  wriggling  worms  in  his 
beak.  It  is  quite  a  different  affair  in  the  mock- 
ing-bird family,  as  is  certainly  natural,  after  the 
persecution  it  has  endured.  No  special  fear  of 
me  was  the  cause,  —  it  is  a  marked  peculiarity 
of  the  bird  ;  and  I  think,  with  a  little  study, 
one  could  learn  to  know  exactly  the  moment 
the  eggs  hatch  by  the  sudden  silence  and  wari- 
ness of  both  birds.  Poor  little  creatures!  a 
sympathetic  friend  hates  to  add  to  the  anxiety 
they  suffer,  and  he  cannot  help  a  feeling  of 
reproach  when  the  brave  little  head  of  the  fam- 
ily alights  on  the  fence,  and  looks  him  straight 
in  the  eye,  as  if  to  demand  why  he  is  subjected 
to  all  this  annoyance.  I  had  to  console  myself 
by  thinking  that  I  was  undoubtedly  a  provi- 
dence to  him  ;  for  I  am  certain  that  nothing 
but  my  watching  him  so  conspicuously  that 
every  negro  within  a  mile  saw  me,  saved  his 
family  to  him,  so  low  and  easy  of  access  was 
the  nest. 

The  day  those  nestlings  were  one  week  old 
they  uttered  their  first  cry.  It  was  not  at  all 
a  "  peep,"  but  a  cry,  continued  a  few  seconds  ; 


48  THE  BABIES*   CRT. 

at  first  only  when  food  was  offered  to  them, 
but  as  they  increased  in  age  and  strength  more 
frequently.  It  was  much  like  a  high-pitched 
"  e-e-e,"  and  on  the  first  day  there  was  but  one 
voice,  which  grew  rapidly  stronger  as  the  hours 
went  by.  The  next  day  another  and  a  weaker 
cry  joined  the  first,  now  grown  assured  and 
strong.  But  the  music  of  the  father  was 
hushed  the  moment  the  youngsters  began  ;  from 
that  time  until  they  had  left  the  nest,  he  sang 
not  a  note  in  my  hearing.  Perhaps  he  was  too 
busy,  though  he  never  seemed  to  work  so  hard 
as  the  robin  or  oriole ;  but  I  think  it  was 
cautiousness,  for  the  trouble  of  those  parents 
was  painful  to  witness.  They  introduced  a 
new  sound  among  their  musical  notes,  a  harsh 
squawk ;  neither  dog  nor  negro  could  cross  the 
yard  without  being  saluted  with  it.  As  for  me, 
though  I  was  meekness  itself,  taking  the  most 
obscure  position  I  could  find,  and  remaining  as 
absolutely  motionless  as  possible,  they  eyed  me 
with  suspicion ;  from  the  first  they  "  huffed  " 
at  me,  and  at  this  point  began  to  squawk  the 
moment  I  entered  the  gate.  On  one  occasion 
I  discovered  that  by  changing  my  seat  I  could 
actually  see  the  nest,  which  I  much  desired  ;  so 
I  removed  while  the  birds  were  absent.  Madam 
was  the  first  to  return,  with  a  beakful  of  food ; 
she  saw  me  instantly,  and  was  too  much  excited 


ANXIOUS   TIMES.  49 

to  dispose  of  her  load.  She  came  to  my  side 
of  her  tree,  squawked  loudly,  flapping  her 
wings  and  jerking  herself  about.  I  remained 
motionless  and  did  not  look  at  her,  pretending 
to  be  absorbed  in  my  book ;  but  she  refused  to 
be  mollified.  It  evidently  did  not  please  her 
to  have  me  see  so  plainly  ;  she  desired  to  retain 
the  friendly  screen  of  leaves  which  had  secured 
her  a  small  measure  of  privacy.  I  could  not 
blame  her ;  I  felt  myself  intrusive  ;  and  at  last 
I  respected  her  wishes  and  returned  to  my  old 
place,  when  she  immediately  calmed  down  and 
administered  the  food  she  had  held  till  then. 
Poor  mother !  those  were  trying  times.  Her 
solicitude  overpowered  her  discretion,  and  her 
manner  proclaimed  to  every  one  within  hearing 
that  the  nestlings  were  out.  Then,  too,  on  the 
eighth  day  the  little  ones  added  their  voices, 
and  soon  called  loudly  enough  to  attract  the 
dullest  of  nest-robbers.  I  was  so  fearful  lest 
that  nest  should  be  disturbed  that  I  scarcely 
dared  to  sleep  o'  nights ;  the  birds  themselves 
were  hardly  more  anxious  than  I  was. 

The  eleventh  day  of  the  birdlings'  life  was 
exceedingly  warm,  without  a  breath  of  air  stir- 
ring, suffocating  to  humanity,  but  preeminently 
inspiring  to  mocking-birds,  and  every  singer 
within  a  mile  of  me,  I  am  sure,  was  singing 
madly,  excepting  the  newly  made  parent.  Up- 


50  OUT  OF  THE  NEST. 

on  reaching  ray  usual  seat  I  knew  at  once,  by 
the  louder  cry,  that  a  young  bird  was  out  of  the 
nest,  and  after  some  searching  through  the  tree 
I  found  him,  —  a  yellowish-drab  little  fellow, 
with  very  decided  wing-markings,  a  tail  per- 
haps an  inch  in  length,  and  soft  slate-colored 
spots,  so  long  as  almost  to  be  streaks,  on  the 
breast.  He  was  scrambling  about  the  branches, 
always  trying  to  get  a  higher  place,  calling  and 
perking  his  insignificant  tail  in  true  mocking- 
bird fashion.  I  think  the  parents  disapproved 
this  early  ambition,  for  they  did  not  feed  him 
for  a  long  time,  though  they  passed  him  to  go 
to  the  nest.  So  far  from  being  lightened,  their 
cares  were  greatly  increased  by  the  precocious- 
ness  of  the  youngster,  and  from  this  moment 
their  trouble  and  worry  were  grievous  to  see. 
So  much  self-reliance  has  the  mocking-bird, 
even  in  the  nest,  that  he  cannot  be  kept  there 
until  his  legs  are  strong  enough  to  bear  his 
weight,  or  his  wings  ready  to  fly.  The  full- 
grown  spirit  of  the  race  blossoms  out  in  the 
young  one  at  eleven  days,  and  for  several  more 
he  is  exposed  to  so  many  dangers  that  I  won- 
der there  is  one  left  in  the  State. 

The  parents^  one  after  the  other,  came  down 
on  to  a  bush  near  my  seat  to  remonstrate  with 
me ;  and  I  must  admit  that  so  great  was  my 
sympathy,  and  so  uncomfortable  did  I  feel  at 


THE  BABY  "FLOPS."  51 

adding  in  the  least  to  their  anxiety,  that  I 
should  never  have  seen  that  young  family 
fledged,  only  that  I  knew  perfectly  well  what 
they  did  not,  that  I  was  a  protection  to  them. 
I  tried  to  reassure  the  mother  by  addressing 
her  in  her  own  language  (as  it  were),  and  she 
turned  quickly,  looked,  listened,  and  returned 
to  her  tree,  quieted.  This  sound  is  a  low 
whistling  through  the  teeth,  which  readily 
soothes  cage  birds.  It  interests  and  calms 
them,  though  I  have  no  notion  what  it  means 
to  them,  for  I  am  speaking  an  unknown  tongue. 
The  baby  on  the  tree  was  not  quiet,  climbing 
about  the  branches  every  moment  that  he  was 
not  engaged  in  dressing  his  feathers,  the  first 
and  most  important  business  of  the  newly 
emancipated  nestling.  After  an  hour  or  more 
of  watching  there  was  a  sudden  stir  in  the  fam- 
ily, and  the  youngster  made  his  appearance  on 
the  ground.  He  was  not  under  the  side  of  the 
tree  on  which  he  had  been  resting,  so,  although 
I  did  not  see  the  passage,  I  knew  he  had  not 
fallen,  as  he  is  popularly  said  to  do,  but  flown 
as  well  as  he  was  able.  I  started  slowly  down 
the  yard  to  examine  the  little  stranger,  but  was 
absolutely  startled  by  a  cry  from  the  mother, 
that  sounded  exactly  like  "  Go  'way  !  "  as  I 
have  often  heard  a  negro  girl  say  it.  Later  it 
was  very  familiar,  a  yearning,  anxious  heart- 
aching  sound  to  hear. 


52  OFF  ON  HTS  TRAVELS. 

The  youth  was  very  lively,  starting  off  at 
once  on  his  travels,  never  for  an  instant  doubt- 
ing his  own  powers.  I  saw  his  first  movement, 
which  was  a  hop,  and,  what  surprised  and 
delighted  me,  accompanied  by  a  peculiar  lifting 
of  the  wings,  of  which  I  shall  have  more  to 
say.  He  quickly  hopped  through  the  thin  grass 
till  he  reached  a  fence,  passed  down  beside  it 
till  a  break  in  the  pickets  left  an  open  place 
on  the  bottom  board,  sprang  without  hesitation 
upon  that,  and  after  a  moment's  survey  of  the 
country  beyond  dropped  down  on  the  farther 
side.  Now  that  was  a  lane  much  frequented 
by  negroes,  and,  being  alarmed  for  his  safety, 
I  sent  a  boy  after  him,  and  in  a  moment  had 
him  in  my  hand.  He  was  a  beautiful  little 
creature,  having  a  head  covered  with  downy 
dark  feathers,  and  soft  black  eyes,  which 
regarded  me  with  interest,  but  not  at  all  with 
fear.  All  this  time,  of  course,  the  parents  were 
scolding  and  crying,  and  I  held  him  only  long 
enough  to  look  carefully  at  him,  when  I  replaced 
him  on  the  grass.  Off  he  started  at  once,  di- 
rectly west,  —  like  the  "  march  of  empire,"  — 
went  through  the  same  fence  again,  but  further 
down,  and,  as  I  could  tell  by  the  conduct  of  the 
parents,  in  a  few  moments  was  safely  through 
a  second  fence  into  a  comparatively  retired  old 
garden  beyond,  where  I  hoped  he  would  be  un- 


HE  FOUND  THE  WORLD  HARD.      53 

molested.  Thus  departed  number  one,  with 
energy  and  curiosity,  to  investigate  a  brand-new 
world,  fearless  in  his  ignorance  and  self-confi- 
dence, although  his  entrance  into  the  world  had 
not  been  the  triumphant  fly  we  might  look  for, 
but  an  ignominious  "  flop,"  and  was  irresistibly 
and  ludicrously  suggestive  of  the  manner  of 
exit  from  the  home  nest  of  sundry  individuals 
of  our  own  race,  which  we  consider  of  much 
greater  importance. 

The  young  traveler  set  out  at  exactly  ten 
o'clock.  As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight,  though 
not  out  of  hearing,  —  for  the  youngster  as  well 
as  the  parents  kept  the  whole  world  of  boys  and 
cats  well  informed  of  his  whereabouts  for  three 
days,  —  I  returned  and  gave  my  attention  to 
number  two,  who  was  now  out  upon  the  native 
tree.  This  one  was  much  more  quiet  than  his 
predecessor.  He  did  not  cry,  but  occasionally 
uttered  a  mocking-bird  squawk,  though  spend- 
ing most  of  his  time  dressing  his  plumage,  in 
preparation  for  the  grand  entree.  At  twelve 
o'clock  he  made  the  plunge  and  came  to  the 
ground  in  a  heap.  This  was  plainly  a  bird  of 
different  disposition  from  number  one  ;  his  first 
journey  evidently  tired  him.  He  found  the 
world  hard  and  disappointing,  so  he  simply 
stayed  where  he  dropped  in  the  middle  of  the 
path,  and  refused  to  move,  though  I  touched 


54  A  COOL    YOUNG  MOCKER. 

him  as  a  gentle  reminder  of  the  duty  he  owed  to 
his  parents  and  his  family.  He  sat  crouched  upon 
the  gravel  and  looked  at  me  with  calm  black 
eye,  showing  no  fear  and  certainly  no  intention 
of  moving,  even  indulging  in  a  nap  while  I 
waited. 

Now  appeared  upon  the  scene  several  persons, 
both  white  and  black,  each  of  whom  wanted  a 
young  mocking-bird  for  a  cage ;  but  I  stood 
over  him  like  a  god-parent  and  refused  to  let 
any  one  touch  him.  I  began  to  fear  that  I 
should  have  him  on  my  hands  at  last,  for  even 
the  parents  seemed  to  appreciate  his  character- 
istics and  to  know  that  he  could  not  be  hurried, 
and  both  were  still  busy  following  the  vagaries 
of  number  one.  The  mother  now  and  then  re- 
turned to  look  after  him  and  was  greatly  dis- 
turbed by  his  unnatural  conduct  —  and  so 
was  I.  He  appeared  stupid,  as  if  he  had  come 
out  too  soon,  and  did  not  even  know  how  to  hop. 
It  was  twenty  minutes  by  the  watch  before  he 
moved.  His  mother's  calls  at  last  aroused  him ; 
he  raised  himself  upon  his  shaky  little  legs, 
cried  out,  and  started  off  exactly  as  number 
one  had  done, — westward,  hopping,  and  lifting 
his  wings  at  every  step.  Then  I  saw  by  the 
enormous  amount  of  white  on  his  wings  that  he 
was  a  singer.  He  went  as  far  as  the  fence,  and 
there  he  paused  again.  In  vain  did  the  mother 


PRESERVED  FROM   CAGES.  55 

come  and  scold;  in  vain  did  I  try  to  push 
him  along.  He  simply  knew  his  own  will,  and 
meant  to  have  it ;  the  world  might  be  strange, 
but  he  was  not  in  the  least  interested.  He 
rested  in  that  spot  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes 
more,  while  I  stood  guard  as  before,  and  pre- 
served him  from  cages  of  both  negroes  and 
whites.  At  last  he  did  manage  to  squeeze 
through  the  fence,  and,  much  relieved,  I  left  him 
to  the  old  birds,  one  of  whom  was  down  in  the 
lot  beyond  the  garden,  no  doubt  following  up 
his  ambitious  first-born. 

Whoever,  meanwhile,  was  left  in  the  nest  had 
a  poor  chance  of  food,  and  one  was  already  cry- 
ing. It  was  not  until  six  o'clock  that  the  birds 
seemed  to  remember  the  nestling ;  then  it  was 
well  fed,  and  left  again.  Nothing  would  be 
easier  than  to  follow  the  wandering  youngsters, 
see  how  they  got  on  and  how  soon  they  were 
able  to  fly,  but  this  so  disturbed  the  parents  I 
had  not  the  heart  to  do  it ;  and  besides  I  feared 
they  would  starve  the  infants,  for  one  was  never 
fed  while  I  was  near.  Doubtless  their  experi- 
ence of  the  human  race  forbade  their  confiding 
in  the  kindly  intentions  of  any  one.  It  was  well 
that  only  two  of  the  young  appeared  in  one  day, 
for  keeping  track  of  them  was  so  serious  a  mat- 
ter that  two  parents  could  scarcely  manage  it. 

Number   three  differed  from  both  of  his  el- 


56  A   CRY-BABY. 

ders ;  he  was  a  cry-baby.  He  was  not  bright 
and  lively  like  number  one,  and  he  did  not 
squawk  like  number  two,  but  he  cried  con- 
stantly, and  at  six  P.  M.  I  left  him  calling  and 
crying  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  Very  early  the  next 
morning  I  hastened  to  the  scene  of  yesterday's 
excitement.  Number  three  was  out  on  the  tree. 
I  could  hear  number  two  still  crying  and  squawk- 
ing in  the  garden,  and  from  the  position  and 
labors  of  the  male  I  concluded  that  number  one 
was  in  the  next  lot.  It  was  a  dismal,  damp 
morning,  every  grass-blade  loaded  with  water, 
and  a  heavy  fog  driving  in  from  the  sea.  I 
hoped  number  three  would  know  enough  to  stay 
at  home,  but  his  fate  was  upon  him,  and  no 
rain  was  ever  wet  enough  to  overcome  destiny. 
At  about  eight  o'clock  he  stretched  his  little 
wings  and  flew  to  the  ground,  —  a  very  good 
flight  for  his  family,  nearly  thirty  feet,  twice  as 
far  as  either  of  his  predecessors  had  gone  ;  si- 
lently, too,  —  no  fuss  about  it.  He  began  at 
once  the  baby  mocker's  hop  with  lifted  wings, 
headed  for  the  west  fence,  jumped  upon  the 
lower  board,  squeezed  through  and  was  off  down 
the  garden  before  the  usual  crowd  of  spectators 
had  collected  to  strive  for  his  head.  1  was  de- 
lighted. The  parents,  who  were  not  near  when 
he  flew,  came  back  soon  and  found  him  at  once. 
I  left  him  to  them  and  returned  to  my  place. 


THE  EMPTY  NEST.  57 

But  silence  seemed  to  have  fallen  upon  the 
cedar,  late  so  full  of  life.  In  vain  I  listened  for 
another  cry ;  in  vain  I  watched  for  another  visit 
from  the  parents.  All  were  busy  in  the  garden 
and  lot,  and  if  any  baby  were  in  that  nest  it 
must  surely  starve.  Occasionally  a  bird  came 
back,  hunted  a  little  over  the  old  ground  in  the 
yard,  perched  a  moment  on  the  fence,  and  sa- 
luted me  with  a  low  squawk,  but  their  interest 
in  the  place  was  plainly  over. 

After  two  hours  I  concluded  the  nest  was 
empty ;  and  a  curious  performance  of  the  head 
of  the  late  family  convinced  me  it  was  so.  He 
came  quite  near  to  me,  perched  on  a  bush  in  the 
yard,  fixed  his  eyes  on  me,  and  then,  with  great 
deliberation,  first  huffed,  then  squawked,  then 
sang  a  little,  then  flew.  I  do  not  know  what  the 
bird  meant  to  say,  but  this  is  what  it  expressed 
to  me :  "  You  've  worried  us  all  through  this 
trying  time,  but  you  did  n't  get  one  of  our 
babies  !  Hurrah !  " 

In  the  afternoon  I  had  the  nest  brought  down 
to  me.  For  foundation  it  had  a  mass  of  small 
twigs  from  six  to  eight  inches  long,  crooked 
and  forked  and  straight,  which  were  so  slightly 
held  together  that  they  could  only  be  handled 
by  lifting  with  both  hands,  and  placing  at  once 
in  a  cloth,  where  they  were  carefully  tied  in. 
Within  this  mass  of  twigs  was  the  nest  proper, 


58  THE  MOST  GRACEFUL  BIRD. 

thick  and  roughly  constructed,  three  and  a  half 
inches  in  inside  diameter,  made  of  string,  rags, 
newspaper,  cotton  wadding,  bark,  Spanish  moss, 
and  feathers,  lined  with  fine  root  fibre,  I  think. 
The  feathers  were  not  inside  for  lining,  but  out- 
side on  the  upper  edge.  It  was,  like  the  foun- 
dation, so  frail  that,  though  carefully  managed, 
it  could  only  be  kept  in  shape  by  a  string  around 
it,  even  after  the  mass  of  twigs  had  been  re- 
moved. I  have  a  last  year's  nest,  made  of  ex- 
actly the  same  materials,  but  in  a  much  more 
substantial  manner ;  so  perhaps  the  cedar-tree 
birds  were  not  so  skillful  builders  as  some  of 
their  family. 

The  mocking-bird's  movements,  excepting  in 
flight,  are  the  perfection  of  grace  5  not  even 
the  cat-bird  can  rival  him  in  airy  lightness,  in 
easy  elegance  of  motion.  In  alighting  on  a 
fence,  he  does  not  merely  come  down  upon  it ; 
his  manner  is  fairly  poetical.  He  flies  a  little 
too  high,  drops  like  a  feather,  touches  the  perch 
lightly  with  his  feet,  balances  and  tosses  upward 
his  tail,  often  quickly  running  over  the  tips  of 
half  a  dozen  pickets  before  he  rests.  Passing 
across  the  yard,  he  turns  not  to  avoid  a  taller 
tree  or  shrub,  nor  does  he  go  through  it ;  he 
simply  bounds  over,  almost  touching  it,  as  if 
for  pure  sport.  In  the  matter  of  bounds  the 
mocker  is  without  a  peer.  The  upward  spring 


PLAYING  IN  A  BRUSH  PILE.  59 

while  singing  is  an  ecstatic  action  that  must  be 
seen  to  be  appreciated ;  he  rises  into  the  air  as 
though  too  happy  to  remain  on  earth,  and  open- 
ing his  wings,  floats  down,  singing  all  the  while. 
It  is  indescribable,  but  enchanting  to  see.  In 
courtship,  too,  as  related,  he  makes  effective  use 
of  this  exquisite  movement.  In  simple  food- 
hunting  011  the  ground,  —  a  most  prosaic  occu- 
pation, truly,  —  on  approaching  a  hummock  of 
grass  he  bounds  over  it  instead  of  going  around. 
In  alighting  on  a  tree  he  does  not  pounce  upon 
the  twig  he  has  selected,  but  upon  a  lower  one, 
and  passes  quickly  up  through  the  branches,  as 
lithe  as  a  serpent.  So  fond  is  he  of  this  exercise 
that  one  which  I  watched  amused  himself  half 
an  hour  at  a  time  in  a  pile  of  brush ;  starting 
from  the  ground,  slipping  easily  through  up  to 
the  top,  standing  there  a  moment,  then  flying 
back  and  repeating  the  performance.  Should 
the  goal  of  his  journey  be  a  fence  picket,  he 
alights  on  the  beam  which  supports  it,  and  hops 
gracefully  to  the  top. 

Like  the  robin,  the  mocking-bird  seeks  his 
food  from  the  earth,  sometimes  digging  it,  but 
oftener  picking  it  up.  His  manner  on  the 
ground  is  much  like  the  robin's  ;  he  lowers  the 
head,  runs  a  few  steps  rapidly,  then  erects  him- 
self very  straight  for  a  moment.  But  he  adds 
to  this  familiar  performance  a  peculiar  and 


60  LIFTING   THE    WINGS. 

beautiful  movement,  the  object  of  which  I  have 
been  unable  to  discover.  At  the  end  of  a  run 
he  lifts  his  wings,  opening  them  wide,  displaying 
their  whole  breadth,  which  makes  him  look  like 
a  gigantic  butterfly,  then  instantly  lowers  his 
head  and  runs  again,  generally  picking  up  some- 
thing as  he  stops.  A  correspondent  in  South 
Carolina,  familiar  with  the  ways  of  the  bird, 
suggests  that  his  object  is  to  startle  the  grass- 
hoppers, or,  as  he  expresses  it,  to  "  flush  his 
game."  I  watched  very  closely  and  could  not 
fix  upon  any  theory  more  plausible,  though  it 
seemed  to  be  weakened  by  the  fact  that  the 
nestlings,  as  mentioned  above,  did  the  same 
thing  before  they  thought  of  looking  for  food. 
The  custom  is  not  invariable  ;  sometimes  it  is 
done,  and  sometimes  not. 

The  mocking-bird  cannot  be  said  to  possess 
a  gentle  disposition,  especially  during  the  time 
of  nesting.  He  does  not  seem  malicious,  but 
rather  mischievous,  and  his  actions  resemble 
the  naughty  though  not  wicked  pranks  of  an 
active  child.  At  that  time  he  does,  it  must  be 
admitted,  lay  claim  to  a  rather  large  territory, 
considering  his  size,  and  enforces  his  rights 
with  many  a  hot  chase  and  noisy  dispute,  as 
remarked  above.  Any  mocking-bird  who  dares 
to  flirt  a  feather  over  the  border  of  the  ground 
he  chooses  to  consider  his  own  has  to  battle 


WORRYING  THE  CROW.  61 

with  him.  A  quarrel  is  a  curious  operation, 
usually  a  chase,  and  the  war-cry  is  so  peculiar 
and  apparently  so  incongruous  that  it  is  fairly 
laughable.  It  is  a  rough  breathing,  like  the 
u  huff  "  of  an  angry  cat,  and  a  serious  dispute 
between  the  birds  reminds  one  of  nothing  but 
a  disagreement  in  the  feline  family.  If  the 
stranger  does  not  take  the  hint,  and  retire  at 
the  first  huff,  he  is  chased,  over  and  under  trees 
and  through  branches,  so  violently  that  leaves 
rustle  and  twigs  are  thrust  aside,  as  long  as  the 
patience  or  wind  holds  out.  On  one  occasion 
the  defender  of  his  homestead  kept  up  a  lively 
singing  all  through  the  furious  flight,  which 
lasted  six  or  eight  minutes,  —  a  remarkable 
thing. 

To  others  than  his  own  kind  the  mocker 
seems  usually  indifferent,  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  the  crow.  So  long  as  this  bird  kept 
over  the  salt  marsh,  or  flew  quite  high,  or  even 
held  his  mouth  shut,  he  was  not  noticed  ;  but 
let  him  fly  low  over  the  lawn,  and  above  all  let 
him  "  caw,"  and  the  hot-headed  owner  of  the 
place  was  upon  him.  He  did  not  seem  to  have 
any  special  plan  of  attack,  like  the  king-bird  or 
the  oriole  ;  his  aim  appeared  to  be  merely  to 
worry  the  enemy,  and  in  this  he  was  untiring, 
flying  madly  and  without  pause  around  a  perch- 
ing crow  until  he  took  flight,  and  then  attempt- 


62  THE  MARVELOUS  SONG. 

ing  to  rise  above  him.  In  this  he  was  not  al- 
ways successful,  not  being  particularly  expert 
on  the  wing,  though  I  have  two  or  three  times 
seen  the  smaller  bird  actually  rest  on  the  back 
of  the  foe  for  three  or  four  seconds  at  a  time. 

The  song  of  the  free  mocking-bird  !  With  it 
ringing  in  my  ear  at  this  moment,  after  having 
feasted  upon  it  and  gloried  in  it  day  and  night 
for  many  weeks,  how  can  I  criticise  it !  How 
can  I  do  otherwise  than  fall  into  rhapsody,  as 
does  almost  every  one  who  knows  it  and  de- 
lights in  it,  as  I  do  !  It  is  something  for  which 
one  might  pine  and  long,  as  the  Switzer  for  the 
Ranz-des-Vaches,  and  the  more  one  hears  it  the 
more  he  loves  it.  I  think  there  will  never 
come  a  May  in  my  life  when  I  shall  not  long 
to  fold  my  tent  and  take  up  my  abode  in  the 
home  of  the  mocking-bird,  and  yet  I  cannot 
say  what  many  do.  For  variety,  glibness,  and 
execution  the  song  is  marvelous.  It  is  a  bril- 
liant, bewildering  exhibition,  and  one  listens  in 
a  sort  of  ecstasy  almost  equal  to  the  bird's  own, 
for  this,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  secret  of  the 
power  of  his  music ;  he  so  enjoys  it  himself,  he 
throws  his  whole  soul  into  it,  and  he  is  so  mag- 
netic that  he  charms  a  listener  into  belief  that 
nothing  can  be  like  it.  His  manner  also  lends 
enchantment ;  he  is  seldom  still.  If  he  begins 
in  a  cedar-tree,  he  soon  flies  to  the  fence,  sing- 


PURE  ECSTASY.  63 

ing  as  he  goes,  thence  takes  his  way  to  a  roof, 
and  so  on,  changing  his  place  every  few  min- 
utes, but  never  losing  a  note.  His  favorite 
perch  is  the  top  spire  of  a  pointed  tree,  low 
cedar  or  young  pine,  where  he  can  bound  into 
the  air  as  already  described,  spread  his  wings, 
and  float  down,  never  omitting  a  quaver.  It 
seems  like  pure  ecstasy;  and  however  critical 
one  may  be,  he  cannot  help  feeling  deep  sym- 
pathy with  the  joyous  soul  that  thus  expresses 
itself.  With  all  the  wonderful  power  and  va- 
riety, the  bewitching  charm,  there  is  not  the 
"  feeling,"  the  heavenly  melody,  of  the  wood- 
thrush.  As  an  imitator,  I  think  he  is  much 
overrated.  I  cannot  agree  with  Lanier  that 

"  Whatever  birds  did  or  dreamed,  this  bird  could  say  ;  " 

and  that  the  birds  are  jealous  of  his  song,  as 
Wilson  says,  seems  absurd.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  do  not  think  they  recognize  the  coun- 
terfeit. The  tufted  titmouse  called  as  loudly 
and  constantly  all  day  as  though  no  mocking- 
bird shouted  his  peculiar  and  easily  imitated 
call  from  the  house-top  ;  the  cardinal  grosbeak 
sang  every  day  in  the  grove,  though  the  mocker 
copied  him  more  closely  than  any  other  bird. 
He  repeats  the  notes,  rattles  out  the  call,  but 
he  cannot  put  the  cardinal's  soul  into  them. 
The  song  of  every  bird  seems  to  me  the  expres- 


64  IMITATION,    BUT  NOT  A    COPY. 

sion  of  himself;  it  is  a  perfect  whole  of  its 
kind,  given  with  proper  inflections  and  pauses, 
and  never  hurried  ;  whereas,  when  the  mocker 
delivers  it,  it  is  simply  one  more  note  added  to 
his  repertory,  uttered  in  his  rapid  staccato,  in 
his  loud,  clear  voice,  interpolated  between  in- 
congruous sounds,  without  expression,  and  lack- 
ing in  every  way  the  beauty  and  attraction  of 
the  original. 

The  song  consists  entirely  of  short  staccato 
phrases,  each  phrase  repeated  several  times,  per- 
haps twice,  possibly  five  or  six  times.  If  he  has 
a  list  of  twenty  or  thirty,  —  and  I  think  he  has 
more,  —  he  can  make  almost  unlimited  changes 
and  variety,  and  can  sing  for  two  hours  or 
longer,  holding  his  listener  spellbound  and  al- 
most without  consciousness  that  he  has  repeated 
anything. 

So  winning  and  so  lasting  is  the  charm  with 
which  this  bird  enthralls  his  lovers  that  scarcely 
had  I  left  his  enchanted  neighborhood  before 
everything  else  was  forgotten,  and  there  remain 
of  that  idyllic  month  only  beautiful  pictures 
and  delightful  memories. 

"  O  thou  heavenly  bird ! " 


A  TRICKSY  SPIRIT. 


Bright  drops  of  tune,  from  oceans  infinite 
Of  melody,  sipped  off  the  thin-edged  wave 
And  trickling  down  the  bank,  discourses  brave 
Of  serious  matter  that  no  man  may  guess, 
Good-fellow  greetings,  cries  of  light  distress  ; 
All  these  but  now  within  the  house  are  heard : 
O  Death,  wast  thou  too  deaf  to  hear  the  bird  ? 

SIDNEY  LANIER. 


IV. 

A  TRICKSY  SPIRIT. 


FOB,  bird-lovers  who  know  the  mocking-bird 
only  as  a  captive  in  our  houses  he  has  few  at- 
tractions :  a  mere  loud-voiced  echo  of  the  inhar- 
monious sounds  man  gathers  about  his  home, 
—  car-bells,  street  cries,  and  other  unpleasing 
noises,  —  and  choosing  for  his  performances  the 
hours  one  wants  to  sleep.  Unfortunate  is  the 
neighborhood  in  which  one  is  kept.  Such  was 
my  feeling  about  the  bird  before  I  knew  him 
in  freedom,  where  he  has  a  song  of  his  own. 
But  in  my  search  for  native  birds  I  often  saw 
the  mocker,  was  surprised  to  notice  his  intelli- 
gence of  look  and  manner,  and  at  last  took  one 
into  my  bird-room,  resolving  that  the  moment 
he  began  to  "  mock "  he  should  be  given  to 
some  one  who  liked  having  the  street  in  his 
house.  My  bird  was  very  obliging  in  the  mat- 
ter ;  six  months  I  watched  him  daily,  and  he 
was  kind  enough  not  to  utter  a  sound,  except 
an  occasional  harsh  "  chack."  Probably  he  had 


68  TAKING  NOTES. 

too  much  liberty  and  too  many  interests  about 
him ;  whatever  the  reason,  I  thanked  him  for 
it,  and  heartily  enjoyed  the  study  of  his  man- 
ners. 

The  bird  was  perhaps  the  most  intelligent 
one  I  ever  watched,  the  cat-bird  being  his  only 
rival  in  that  regard.  Fear  was  unknown  to 
him,  and  from  the  moment  of  his  arrival  he 
was  interested  in  everything  that  took  place 
around  him ;  looking  at  each  bird  in  succession  ; 
making  close  study  of  every  member  of  the 
family  ;  noticing  the  sounds  of  the  street,  in- 
cluding the  sparrow  broils  on  the  porch-roof  ; 
in  fact,  extremely  wide-awake  and  observing. 
To  the  goldfinch's  song  he  gave  attention, 
standing  motionless  except  for  a  slight  nervous 
jerk  of  one  wing,  looking  and  listening  as  in- 
tently as  though  studying  the  notes  for  future 
use.  The  freedom  of  the  birds  in  the  room  sur- 
prised him,  as  he  showed  plainly  by  the  eager 
glances  with  which  he  followed  every  movement 
and  marked  each  act.  Upon  joining  the  party 
of  the  free,  he  took  note  of  pictures  in  a  news- 
paper, distinguishing  objects  in  the  cut,  which 
he  tried  to  pick  up,  as  a  small  wheel  and  a  bar. 
In  colors  he  had  a  choice,  and  his  selection  was 
red ;  from  a  vase  of  roses  of  many  hues  he 
never  failed  to  draw  out  the  red  one  to  pull  it 
to  pieces  on  the  floor. 


HE  APPEARED  TO  REASON.  69 

Liberty  the  mocking-bird  emphatically  en- 
joyed, and  at  once  recognized  a  string  attached 
to  his  door  as  a  device  to  deprive  him  of  it ; 
after  vainly  trying  to  pick  it  apart,  he  betook 
himself  to  another  cage,  and  refused  to  go  back 
to  his  own.  In  any  strange  cage  he  stood 
quietly  while  I  walked  up  to  him,  and  made  no 
attempt  to  leave  his  quarters,  knowing  perfectly 
well  that  I  did  not  care  to  shut  the  door  upon 
him  ;  but  when  at  home  I  could  not  lift  my 
hands,  or  make  the  slightest  movement,  with- 
out causing  him  to  dart  out  of  the  cage  in- 
stantly. Having  contention  with  his  room- 
mates about  the  bits  of  apple  put  out  for  all  to 
enjoy,  he  often  carried  away  a  piece  to  eat  at 
his  leisure.  From  habit  he  flew  first  to  the  top 
of  a  cage,  that  being  his  favorite  perching  place ; 
but  he  evidently  appreciated  that,  if  he  dropped 
the  morsel,  he  should  lose  it  through  the  wires ; 
and  after  looking  one  side  and  the  other,  plainly 
satisfying  himself  of  this  fact,  he  went  to  the 
table  with  it.  I  never  before  saw  a  bird  who 
did  not  have  to  learn  the  treacherous  nature  of 
cage  roofs  by  experience.  He  appeared  to  work 
things  out  in  his  mind,  —  to  reason,  in  truth. 
One  cold  morning  in  spring,  when  the  furnace 
fire  was  out,  a  large,  brilliant  lamp  was  put  by 
his  cage  to  take  off  the  chill,  for  he  felt  changes 
keenly.  He  seemed  to  understand  it  at  once, 


70  HE    WAS  BIDING  HIS  TIME. 

and  though,  no  doubt,  it  was  his  first  experi- 
ence of  warmth  from  a  light,  he  drew  as  near 
it  as  possible,  and  remained  there  perfectly 
quiet  until  the  sun  warmed  the  room  and  it  was 
removed.  Fear,  as  I  said,  he  knew  not,  com- 
ing freely  upon  the  desk,  or  even  upon  my  lap, 
after  apple  or  bread,  or  anything  he  fancied. 

It  was  plain  to  see  that  this  bird's  first  week 
with  us  was  one  of  quiet  study  and  observation. 
Not  a  movement  of  bird  or  man  escaped  his  no- 
tice. He  wished  to  understand,  to  take  meas- 
ure of  his  neighbors,  to  be  master  of  the  situa- 
tion. This  was  manifested  not  only  by  his 
thoughtful  manner  and  his  wise  and  knowing 
looks,  but  by  his  subsequent  conduct.  During 
this  period,  also,  he  submitted  to  impositions 
from  all  the  birds,  even  the  smallest,  without 
resentment.  The  wood-thrush  easily  drove  him 
away  from  the  apple ;  the  little  goldfinch  chased 
him  from  his  perch.  He  appeared  to  be  meek- 
ness itself ;  but  he  was  biding  his  time,  he  was 
making  up  his  mind. 

The  first  time  the  mocking-bird's  door  was 
opened  he  was  not  in  the  least  surprised;  no 
doubt,  seeing  others  at  liberty,  he  had  expected 
it.  At  any  rate,  whatever  his  emotions,  he  in- 
stantly ran  out  on  the  perch  placed  in  his  door- 
way and  surveyed  his  new  world  from  this  posi- 
tion. He  was  in  no  panic,  not  even  in  haste. 


TOUR  OF  INSPECTION.  71 

When  fully  ready,  he  began  his  tour  of  inspec- 
tion. First,  to  see  if  he  really  could  reach  the 
trees  without,  through  those  large,  clear  open- 
ings, he  tried  the  windows,  each  of  the  three, 
but  gently,  not  bouncing  against  them  so  vio- 
lently as  to  fall  to  the  floor,  as  more  impetuous 
or  less  intelligent  birds  invariably  do.  Having 
proved  each  to  be  impassable,  he  was  satisfied, 
and  never  tried  again.  Next,  the  ceiling  inter- 
ested him,  and  he  flew  all  around  the  room, 
touching  it  gently  everywhere,  to  assure  him- 
self of  its  nature.  Convinced  thus  in  a  short 
time  that  his  bounds  were  only  widened,  not 
removed,  he  went  on  to  investigate  closely  what 
he  had  looked  at  from  a  distance ;  every  bird- 
cage, inside  as  well  as  outside,  if  the  owner  hap- 
pened to  be  away,  every  piece  of  furniture,  pic- 
tures, books,  and  the  pincushion,  —  where  he 
was  detained  some  time  trying  to  carry  off  the 
large  black  heads  of  shawl-pins.  The  looking- 
glass  absorbed  him  most  completely  on  the  first 
day  ;  he  flew  against  it,  he  hovered  before  it, 
slowly  passing  from  bottom  to  top,  alighted  on 
top  and  looked  over  behind.  I  think  he  never 
solved  that  mystery  to  his  own  satisfaction,  as 
he  did  that  of  the  window-glass,  which  must 
have  been  quite  as  inexplicable,  and  it  was  never 
without  a  certain  charm  for  him.  He  had  no 
trouble  in  finding  his  way  home :  standing  on 


72  ffIS  POSITION  TO  BE  SETTLED. 

a  cage  next  to  his,  he  saw  his  own  door-perch, 
recognized  it  instantly  (though  he  had  been 
upon  it  only  once),  and,  being  hungry,  dropped 
to  it  and  ran  into  the  cage. 

The  new-comer  soon  made  thorough  acquaint- 
ance with  all  his  surroundings,  and  had  leisure 
to  turn  his  attention  to  a  little  matter  yet  un- 
settled ;  namely,  his  position  in  the  small  colony 
about  him.  The  first  few  days,  as  already  noted, 
he  submitted  to  impositions ;  allowed  himself  to 
be  driven  away  from  the  slices  of  apple  on  the 
matting,  and  turned  from  the  bathing-dish  on 
the  floor.  This  was,  however,  the  calm  before 
the  storm ;  though  after  all  that  is  hardly  a  cor- 
rect comparison,  since  there  was  never  the  least 
"  storm  "  about  his  manner  ;  he  was  composure 
itself.  Having  calmly  and  patiently  considered 
the  state  of  affairs,  he  suddenly  asserted  him- 
self and  took  the  position  he  felt  was  his  right, 
—  at  the  head.  It  soon  became  evident  that  he 
was  prepared  to  defend  the  situation  by  force  of 
arms.  He  conducted  his  conquests  systemat- 
ically, and  subdued  one  after  the  other,  begin- 
ning with  the  least. 

The  English  goldfinch  had  been  very  saucy, 
scolding  and  flying  over  him  as  he  went  around 
the  room,  in  the  small  bird's  way  ;  but  one  day 
it  came  to  a  sudden  end.  The  goldfinch  in  his 
cage  scolded  the  stranger  for  alighting  too  near 


WAR   ON  THE  FINCH.  73 

his  door.  The  mocking-bird  turned,  looked 
sharply  at  him,  ruffled  up  his  feathers,  and 
jumped  heavily  to  the  top  of  the  cage,  turning 
one  eye  down  upon  his  small  foe  with  an  air  that 
said,  "  Who  is  this  midget  that  insults  me  ?  " 
The  finch  was  surprised,  but  did  not  fully  ap- 
preciate the  significance  of  this  change  of  man- 
ner until  he  was  let  out,  when  he  found  at  once 
that  his  amiable  neighbor  had  suddenly  become 
an  active  enemy,  who  chased  him  around  the 
room  till  he«panted  for  breath,  and  would  not 
allow  him  a  moment's  rest  or  peace  anywhere. 
This  was  strange  experience  for  the  little  fel- 
low, for  heretofore  none  of  the  large  birds  had 
ever  disturbed  him.  He  scolded  furiously,  but 
he  went ;  no  one  could  stand  against  that  de- 
termined approach.  If  the  goldfinch  wished  to- 
bathe,  his  persecutor  took  his  place  on  the  near- 
est perch,  not  a  foot  away,  thus  driving  him  to 
the  floor  with,  the  intention  of  using  the  big 
birds'  bath.  He  circled  around  the  edge,  but  it 
did  not  suit,  and  he  returned  to  his  own,  looked 
at  his  enemy,  spattered  a  little,  went  back  to 
the  big  dish,  returned  again,  and  thus  vibrated 
between  the  two  for  several  minutes,  while  the 
mocking-bird  stood  motionless,  not  offering  any 
molestation,  but  plainly  wishing  to  worry  him. 
The  final  act  occurred  when  both  chanced  acci- 
dentally to  be  in  the  same  cage,  not  the  home 


74  A  CURIOUS  SCENE. 

of  either.  The  mocking-bird,  without  provoca- 
tion, dropped  from  the  upper  perch  upon  the 
finch,  who  uttered  a  sharp  cry  and  darted  away. 
Two  or  three  little  feathers  flew,  though  no 
hurt  could  be  seen ;  but  the  smaller  bird  panted 
violently  for  a  half  hour,  as  though  frightened, 
and  for  four  or  five  hours  sat  quietly  on  a  perch, 
neither  eating  nor  making  a  sound,  —  a  very 
unusual  proceeding  for  the  lively  chattering  lit- 
tle fellow.  This  proved  to  be  a  declaration  of 
open  war,  and  was  so  vigorously  followed  up 
that  before  many  days  the  larger  bird's  door 
was  not  opened  until  his  victim  had  had  his 
outing  and  returned  to  his  home.  Teasing 
never  lost  its  attraction  for  him,  however.  He 
delighted  to  alight  on  the  cage  and  worry  his 
little  foe,  or  to  stand  near  his  door  and  stare 
at  him.  On  one  such  occasion  a  curious  scene 
occurred.  They  stood  three  inches  apart,  with 
the  wires  between  them,  when  the  finch  sud- 
denly began  reaching  upward  as  far  as  possible ; 
taller  and  taller  he  stretched  up,  till  he  fairly 
stood  on  tiptoe.  The  mocking-bird,  not  to  be 
outdone,  imitated  the  movement  on  his  side  of 
the  bars,  of  course  towering  far  above  his  copy. 
It  seemed  to  afford  both  of  them  great  satisfac- 
tion ;  perhaps  it  expressed  contempt  more  fully 
than  was  possible  in  any  other  way. 

The  largest  bird  in  the  room,  a  Mexican 


A  DELIBERATE  INSULT.  75 

thrush,  was  considerably  stronger  and  fiercer 
than  our  native  wood-thrush,  and  it  seemed  ab- 
surd for  the  mocking-bird  to  measure  swords 
with  him.  So  it  would  have  been  but  for  the 
fact  that  the  Mexican,  having  lost  part  of  his 
wing  feathers,  was  clumsy,  unable  to  fly  readily, 
and  no  match  for  his  active,  agile  antagonist ; 
he  always  conquered  when  hostilities  reached 
the  point  of  a  personal  encounter,  but  he  was 
soon  soured,  and  declined  to  meet  the  enemy. 
Two  or  three  times  they  flew  up  together,  like 
quarrelsome  cocks,  but  the  decisive  and  final 
dispute  was  over  the  bathing-dish.  It  hap- 
pened that  morning  that  the  Mexican  came  out 
before  the  goldfinch  was  shut  up,  and  hence  the 
the  mocking-bird's  door  was  not  yet  opened. 
He  flew  at  once  to  the  top  of  his  neighbor's 
cage  to  dress  his  feathers  and  shake  himself 
out.  It  looked  like  a  deliberate  insult,  and  the 
captive  in  his  cage  evidently  so  regarded  it; 
he  crouched  on  the  upper  perch  and  opened  his 
mouth  at  the  enemy,  who  calmly  went  on  with 
his  operations.  The  moment  the  finch  was  safe 
at  home  I  opened  the  door,  and  the  mocking- 
bird came  out  in  haste.  Pretending  not  to  see 
the  Mexican,  he  descended  to  the  bathing-dish, 
doubtless  to  cool  his  heated  blood.  The  first 
splash,  however,  interested  the  enemy  on  his 
roof,  and  he  flew  to  the  floor;  but  the  bather 


76  OVER  THE  BATH. 

paid  no  apparent  attention  to  him,  and  went 
on  with  his  business.  The  Mexican  approached 
slowly,  a  step  at  a  time,  with  a  low,  warning 
"  chack,"  which  meant,  "  Make  way  there,  I  'm 
coming."  The  mocking-bird,  manifestly  hear- 
ing him,  did  not  take  the  hint,  nor  look  at  his 
assailant,  but  serenely  continued  his  splashing. 
The  Mexican  advanced  to  within  six  inches 
before  he  was  convinced  that  force  would  be 
necessary.  When  he  decided  upon  an  attack, 
he  manifested  it  by  a  grotesque  little  hop  a  few 
inches  into  the  air,  but  this  not  alarming  the 
enemy  he  drew  near  to  the  dish.  Now  at  last 
the  bather  condescended  to  notice  him.  He 
stood  up  in  the  water  and  faced  his  adversary, 
bowing  rather  slowly  and  with  dignity,  feathers 
ruffled,  and  beak  opening  in  the  curious  way 
usual  with  him,  —  stretching  it  wide,  then  clos- 
ing it,  and  constantly  repeating  the  operation. 

After  looking  a  moment  at  this  peculiar  dis- 
play, the  Mexican  hopped  upon  the  edge  of  the 
dish,  and  in  the  same  instant,  as  though  moved 
by  the  same  machinery,  the  mocking-bird  sprang 
backward  out  upon  the  floor.  The  usurper 
paid  him  no  further  attention,  but  proceeded 
to  bathe,  while  his  discomfited  rival  took  a 
stand  on  the  edge  of  the  disputed  dish,  which 
was  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and  fanned  his 
wings  violently.  I  cannot  otherwise  name  this 


HOSTILITIES  CONTINUED.  77 

extraordinary  movement,  the  wings  raised  high 
above  his  head,  and  moved  quickly  back  and 
forth  with  a  fanning  motion.  The  Mexican 
turned  suddenly  to  him  and  he  flew.  Two  or 
three  times  he  repeated  the  performance,  but 
was  each  time  forced  to  fly  before  the  large, 
strong  beak  wielded  by  his  opponent,  who  fin- 
ished his  bath,  and  retired  to  a  perch  to  dress 
his  feathers.  Now  the  mocking-bird  resumed 
his  splashing;  but  when  thoroughly  wet,  the 
thought  seemed  to  strike  him  that  he  was  not 
in  good  fighting  trim,  and  must  dry  himself  as 
quickly  as  possible  to  be  ready  for  war,  which 
he  at  once  did  by  flirting  and  shaking  himself, 
bounding  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  a  perch, 
as  though  he  had  suddenly  gone  mad.  He  was 
soon  in  order,  and  more  than  ready  to  resume 
hostilities.  The  enemy  still  occupied  his  favor- 
ite position  upon  his  roof.  Two  cages  stood 
side  by  side  on  a  shelf,  and  across  the  tops  of 
them,  with  great  noise  and  tramping  of  feet,  the 
Mexican  delighted  to  run,  thus  amusing  himself 
an  hour  at  a  time.  Seeing  him  off  his  guard, 
the  wary  fellow  watched  his  chance,  and  when 
his  foe  was  at  one  end  of  the  course  he  sud- 
denly alighted  on  the  other.  The  Mexican  ran 
madly  at  him,  clattering  his  bill  furiously,  when 
he  gracefully  rose  from  his  place,  flew  over, 
and  perched  on  the  other  end.  The  run  was 


78  OVER   THE  APPLE. 

repeated,  and  the  mischievous  bird  continued 
the  annoyance  until  his  victim  was  exhausted, 
panting,  and  in  great  excitement.  From  that 
day  the  Mexican  gave  up  the  contest  with  his 
too  lively  antagonist,  and  refused  to  come  out 
of  his  cage  at  all ;  so  that  in  fact  the  stranger 
reduced  the  colony  to  submission. 

With  the  wood-thrush,  the  encounters  dif- 
fered from  both  the  preceding.  This  bird  had 
opened  hostilities  when  the  mocker  first  ap- 
peared, presuming  on  being  the  older  resident, 
and  the  only  bird  who  cared  much  to  be  on  the 
floor.  The  disputed  object,  as  already  men- 
tioned, was  the  apple,  which  they  received  on 
the  matting,  two  pieces  being  placed  at  some 
distance  apart.  Seeing  the  thrush  engaged 
with  one,  the  mocking-bird  quietly  dropped  to 
the  other,  when  instantly  the  thrush  deserted 
his  own,  ran  hastily  across  the  room,  and 
claimed  that  piece.  As  he  approached,  the 
mocking-bird  lifted  himself  into  the  air  by  a 
beautiful  and  graceful  movement;  he  did  not 
seem  to  fly,  but  to  simply  rise  on  wing.  The 
thrush  being  occupied  with  that  piece,  the 
new-comer  descended  upon  the  abandoned  slice  ; 
but  the  inhospitable  bird  wanted  that  also. 
Even  when  three  or  more  pieces  were  at  their 
disposal,  the  thrush  tried  to  monopolize  them 
all,  though  the  plan  of  collecting  them  in  one 


A   WAR  DANCE.  79 

place  never  seemed  to  occur  to  him.  After  a 
little  of  this  contention,  the  mocker  generally 
succeeded  in  carrying  off  a  bit  to  some  quiet 
place,  where  he  could  eat  at  his  leisure.  Wish- 
ing them  to  live  peaceably,  I  placed  a  slice  of 
the  fruit  on  a  high  gas-fixture,  where  the 
stranger  was  fond  of  alighting  and  no  other 
bird  ever  went.  He  understood  at  once,  flew 
over  to  it,  and  ate  his  fill.  The  Mexican  ob- 
served this,  and  tramped  over  his  cages  (it  was 
before  he  had  retired  from  the  world)  in  a 
rage,  seeing  "  good  times  going  on,"  and  feel- 
ing, evidently,  unable  to  fly  so  high.  Some- 
what later  the  thrush  noticed  the  excitement, 
flew  heavily  up,  with  difficulty  alighted  beside 
the  apple,  snatched  it  off,  and  carried  it  to  the 
floor. 

Settlement  of  difficulties  between  these  two 
birds  was  no  chance  happening;  it  was,  to  all 
appearance,  a  regularly  planned  campaign,  and, 
like  a  savage,  the  aggressor  put  oil  his  war 
paint  and  danced  his  war  dance.  It  was  ex- 
tremely interesting  to  watch,  although  painful 
to  realize  that  a  bird  could  be  animated  by 
emotions  so  —  must  I  call  them  human?  He 
selected,  for  the  declaration  of  his  intentions, 
a  moment  when  the  thrush  was  in  his  own 
house  and  the  door  open.  The  approach  to 
this  cage  was  by  a  light  ladder,  the  top  round 


80  SETTLING   THE   THRUSH. 

of  which,  about  a  foot  in  length,  rested  perhaps 
four  inches  from  the  cage,  and  level  with  the 
door.  Upon  this  round  the  mocking-bird  exe- 
cuted what  has  been  called  his  war  dance,  shak- 
ing himself,  shuffling  (or  moving  along  without 
raising  the  feet),  and  agitating  his  feathers  in 
such  a  way  that  they  rustled  like  stiff  new  silk. 
After  a  few  minutes  of  this  performance  he  flew 
away,  returning  presently  to  repeat  it.  This 
he  did  again  and  again,  and  his  motive  was 
plain.  "You've  domineered  long  enough," 
his  manner  said  :  "  now  come  out  here,  and 
we  '11  settle  this  matter  at  once."  The  bird  in 
the  cage,  though  plainly  surprised  at  this 
sudden  exhibition  of  spirit,  received  it  like  a 
thrush  —  in  silent  dignity.  He  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  demonstration  further  than  to  keep 
his  eye  upon  the  enemy,  unless  he  appeared  to 
think  of  entering  the  door,  when  he  turned  his 
open  bill  in  that  direction.  A  long  time  hav- 
ing passed  in  these  manoeuvres,  the  thrush,  ap- 
parently tired  of  waiting  for  the  belligerent  to 
vacate  his  front  doorstep,  retired  to  the  upper 
perch,  and  the  mocking-bird  immediately  en- 
tered below,  took  his  stand  by  the  food-dish, 
and  defied  the  owner,  who  came  with  open 
beak  to  dispute  him,  but  after  a  few  moments' 
silent  protest  returned  to  the  high  perch,  leav- 
ing the  intruder  to  eat  and  drink  as  he  chose. 


DECIDES   TO  MOVE.  81 

Another  point  to  settle  was  the  possession  of 
the  apple.  The  next  time  the  thrush,  not 
warned  by  previous  operations,  hurried  up  to 
claim  a  slice  of  the  fruit  which  his  foe  had 
marked  for  his  own,  he  was  met  by  resistance. 
To  avoid  the  rush,  the  mocking-bird  lifted  him- 
self a  few  inches,  but  came  down  on  the  same 
spot.  The  thrush,  astonished,  but  thrush-like 
to  the  last,  stood  motionless  where  he  had 
stopped,  his  body  drawn  to  a  point,  bill  slightly 
open  and  turned  toward  the  bold  intruder. 
That  bird  ignored  his  attitude  and  placidly 
went  on  eating,  and  three  similar  experiences 
ended  that  annoyance. 

One  thing  still  remained  unsettled :  the 
mocking-bird  decided  to  change  his  residence. 
No  reason  was  apparent,  but  he  preferred  a 
special  place  in  the  room,  a  certain  end  of  a 
particular  shelf ;  and  no  matter  what  cage  was 
there,  he  insisted  on  taking  possession.  The 
day  he  determined  on  this  removal,  he  went  in 
while  the  resident  —  the  thrush  —  was  out,  and, 
having  eaten,  proceeded  to  the  upper  perches, 
and  began  jumping  back  and  forth  on  them,  as 
if  at  home.  In  due  time  the  owner  returned, 
visited  the  food-dishes,  and  started  for  the 
upper  regions,  but  was  met  by  a  threatening 
attitude  from  the  bird  already  there.  He 
seemed  to  think  the  matter  not  worth  quarrel- 


82  IN  THE  NEW  HOUSE. 

ing  over,  since  he  readily  settled  himself  on  the 
middle  perch,  where  he  made  a  most  elaborate 
and  deliberate  toilet,  dressing  every  feather 
with  care,  and  spending  a  half  hour  over  the 
operation.  All  this  time  the  invader  stood  on 
the  top  perch,  backed  against  the  wires,  his 
long  tail  on  one  side  like  the  train  of  a  lady's 
dress,  invincible  determination  in  his  manner. 
The  calm  indifference  of  the  house-owner  evi- 
dently did  not  please  him,  and  the  long  drawn- 
out  toilet  was  irritating ;  he  grew  thirsty,  and 
dropped  to  the  floor  to  drink,  when  the  thrush 
remonstrated  by  a  low,  rapid  "chook,  chook, 
chook,"  and  the  mocking-bird  made  an  impa- 
tient dive  at  him.  This  silenced  but  apparent- 
ly did  not  hurt  the  bird,  who  stayed  as  long  as 
he  chose,  and  then  quietly  came  out.  From 
that  moment  the  usurper  claimed  the  cage, 
and  the  amiable  owner  easily  contented  himself 
with  the  one  the  other  had  deserted. 

When  the  mocking-bird  had  thoroughly  es- 
tablished himself  in  every  right  and  privilege 
he  chose  to  consider  his  own,  I  hoped  there 
would  be  peace,  but  I  had  not  sounded  the 
depths  in  his  character;  he  began  to  tease. 
Not  content  with  complete  victory,  life  seemed 
dull  without  some  object  to  worry.  I  really 
think  it  was  his  amusement ;  he  certainly  went 
at  it  as  if  it  were.  I  noticed  him  one  morning, 


TEASING  THE  THRUSH.  83 

standing  on  the  ladder  before  his  door,  appar- 
ently working  himself  up  to  something.  He 
first  looked  at  me,  —  I  had  a  book,  and  pre- 
tended not  to  see  him,  —  then  at  the  thrush, 
who  was  on  the  floor  as  usual ;  he  jerked  his 
body  this  way  and  that,  puffed  out  his  feathers, 
especially  on  the  throat  and  breast,  held  his 
tail  on  one  side  and  turned  upward  at  an  angle 
of  forty-five  degrees,  which  gave  him  a  wicked 
expression.  He  looked  full  of  life  to  the  tips 
of  his  toes,  and  greatly  excited.  The  other 
birds  observed  him  ;  the  Mexican  in  his  cage 
rustled  his  wings,  jerked  his  body,  and  at  last 
gave  his  usual  cry.  Even  the  little  goldfinch 
was  impressed  and  looked  on  with  interest. 

All  this  agitation  did  not  escape  the  notice 
of  the  bird  on  the  floor,  who  stood  silent,  plainly 
understanding,  and  waiting  for  the  next  move. 
Finally  the  mocking-bird  started,  gracefully  and 
without  haste.  He  first  flew  easily  and  lightly 
to  the  desk,  in  a  moment  to  the  back  of  a  chair, 
then  deliberately  to  an  arm,  next  to  the  seat, 
and  lastly  to  a  round ;  at  each  step  pausing, 
shaking  himself,  and  threatening.  When  he 
reached  the  floor,  he  ran  a  few  steps  toward 
the  thrush,  stopped  short,  erected  himself  very 
straight,  and  puffed  out  as  big  as  possible ; 
then  another  little  run,  and  the  operation  was 
repeated.  He  proceeded  till  within  a  foot  of 


84  A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS. 

the  thrush,  when  he  alternated  the  upright  po- 
sition with  a  lowered  head,  and  bill  pointed 
toward  the  foe,  changing  from  one  to  the  other 
very  suddenly.  When  he  came  so  near,  the 
thrush  crouched  flat  on  the  floor,  with  beak 
turned  squarely  against  the  approaching  bird, 
and  thus  awaited  the  onslaught. 

In  that  attitude  the  mocking-bird  did  not 
apparently  like  to  attack  him.  He  threatened 
a  long  time,  then  retreated  gradually,  making 
feints,  turning,  running  a  few  inches,  and  bring- 
ing up  suddenly  with  a  half  turn  back.  In  this 
manner  he  moved  away  for  some  distance,  then 
flew  to  the  round  of  the  chair,  the  seat,  the 
arm,  the  back,  and  so  on  till  he  reached  the 
ladder  again.  Then  for  the  first  time  the 
thrush  changed  his  position  and  rose  to  his  feet, 
when,  without  the  least  warning,  the  mocker 
flung  himself  madly  after  him,  and  the  thrush, 
unprepared,  ran,  with  a  sharp  cry.  Obviously 
the  mocking-bird,  finding  the  first  method  of 
attack,  which  was  probably  his  usual  one,  a 
failure,  decided  to  try  another,  as  the  event 
proved,  successfully.  The  excitement  of  this 
performance  evidently  gave  him  pleasure,  no 
doubt  helped  to  pass  away  the  long  hours,  for 
he  often  indulged  in  it,  always  making  his  ap- 
proach in  the  same  deliberate  way,  tripping 
daintily  a  step  or  two  at  a  time,  examining 


"  WHO'S  DONE  ANYTHING*"  85 

everything  in  a  careless  way,  tasting  a  piece  of 
apple-skin,  lifting  a  bit  of  thread,  toying  and 
dallying  to  all  appearance,  as  he  moved,  still 
always  advancing,  and  never  turning  aside  from 
his  purpose  till  he  reached  the  distance  of  a 
foot  from  the  thrush,  crouching  motionless  with 
crown  feathers  erect.  At  that  point  he  often 
stood  a  moment,  looking  grimly  at  his  victim, 
then  gave  a  quick,  exaggerated  jump  which 
carried  him  forward  not  more  than  an  inch, 
but  sent  the  thrush,  in  a  panic,  running  half 
across  the  room,  where  he  brought  up  in  a 
heap,  —  his  claws  sprawled  as  they  slipped  on 
the  matting,  every  feather  standing  up,  —  and 
made  no  attempt  to  draw  his  feet  together.  A 
slow,  formal  attack  he  could  meet,  but  a  sud- 
den rush  was  irresistible.  Then  the  assailant 
turned,  slowly,  gracefully,  the  personification 
of  tranquillity,  his  air  saying,  "Who's  done 
anything  ? "  yet  taking  a  direct  line  for  the 
enemy,  approaching  in  the  same  way,  by  easy 
stages,  but  relentlessly  drawing  nearer  and 
nearer,  till  he  ended  by  a  quick  plunge,  which 
sent  the  thrush  off  with  a  cry.  In  a  moment 
he  began  again,  teasing,  following,  tormenting ; 
so  wily,  so  wicked,  so  determined  ! 

The  motions  of  this  bird  were  most  bewitching  ; 
his  flight  the  perfection  of  grace.  He  never 
flew  straight  across  the  room  as  if  on  business, 


86  BEWITCHING  MANNERS. 

but  always  in  a  dancing,  loitering,  easy  way ; 
hovering  to  examine  a  picture,  slowly  pausing  on 
wing  to  look  at  anything,  turning,  wheeling,  up 
or  down  or  any  way,  buoyant  and  light  as  the 
air  itself.  It  was  his  delight  to  exercise  on 
wing  about  the  room,  diving  between  the  rounds 
of  the  ladder,  darting  under  a  stretched  string 
or  into  a  cage  full  dash.  His  feet  found  rest 
on  any  point,  however  small,  —  the  cork  in  a 
bottle,  the  tip  of  a  gas-burner,  or  the  corner 
post  of  a  chair ;  nothing  was  too  small  or  too 
delicately  balanced  for  his  light  touch,  and  he 
never  upset  anything.  He  enjoyed  running  up 
and  down  a  ladder  six  feet  long  with  six  or  eight 
rounds,  passing  over  it  so  rapidly  that  he  could 
not  be  seen  to  touch  it  at  any  point,  yet  not 
using  his  wings  he  must  have  stepped  upon 
every  round.  He  always  used  his  legs  with  a 
freedom  rarely  seen  in  a  bird,  not  moving  them 
together  as  usual  in  his  kind,  but  handling  them 
with  astonishing  independence  of  each  other. 

The  body  of  this  bird  was  capable  of  wonder- 
ful expression,  not  only  in  the  free  use  of  each 
member,  but  every  feather  seemed  under  his 
voluntary  control.  The  spasmodic  movement 
of  the  wings  in  excitement,  common  to  many 
birds,  was  accomplished  in  an  original  manner 
by  holding  the  wing  slightly  away  from  the 
body,  and  spreading  or  opening  it  a  little  at 


EXPRESSION  OF  EMOTIONS.  87 

each  jerk,  without  changing  its  position  toward 
his  side.  His  tail  seemed  as  loosely  connected 
with  his  body  as  if  it  were  hung  on  wires  ;  it 
moved  even  with  his  breathing,  and  the  em- 
phatic flirt  of  the  member  was  an  insult  which 
every  bird  in  the  room  understood.  Intense  in- 
terest in  any  sound  was  indicated  by  raising  the 
feathers  over  the  ears  alone,  which  gave  him  the 
droll  appearance  of  wearing  velvet  "  ear  muffs." 
In  expressing  other  emotions  he  could  erect  the 
feathers  of  his  chin,  his  shoulders  or  his  back, 
either  part  alone,  or  all  together,  as  he  chose. 
A  true  bird  of  the  south,  he  did  not  enjoy  our 
climate,  and  if  the  room  became  too  cool  he 
made  his  opinion  known  by  drawing  his  head 
down  into  his  shoulders,  with  every  feather  on 
his  body  fluffed  out,  even  to  the  base  of  the 
beak,  till  he  looked  as  if  wrapped  in  delicate 
gray  furs  to  his  nose,  and  almost  burying  his 
eyes. 

The  mocking-bird's  emotions  were  so  intense 
and  so  originally  displayed  that  he  was  a  con- 
stant source  of  interest.  A  hand-glass  lying  face 
up  gave  opportunity  for  an  amusing  exhibition 
one  day.  Leaning  over  it,  he  puffed  out  every 
feather,  opened  his  mouth,  and  tried  the  glass 
with  his  beak  at  every  point.  Meeting  no  satis- 
faction, he  turned  to  leave  it,  but  first  peeped 
slyly  over  the  edge  to  see  if  the  stranger  were 


88  IN  THE  LOOKING-GLASS. 

still  there,  no  doubt  unable  to  get  over  his  sur- 
prise at  seeing  a  bird  in  that  position  and  ready 
to  meet  his  bill  at  every  point.  The  same  glass 
standing  up  brought  out  a  different  demonstra- 
tion. He  stood  in  front  of  it  and  swelled  him- 
self out,  while  the  feathers  of  the  shoulders  and 
breast  were  erected.  Then  he  opened  his 
mouth  wide  and  attacked  the  reflection,  but  was 
astonished  to  meet  the  glass.  He  touched  the 
bill  of  his  double  with  his  own,  and  moved  all 
the  way  to  the  bottom  of  the  glass,  not  taking 
it  away,  but  apparently  trying  to  seize  the  one 
which  opposed  his.  He  lowered  his  head  as 
though  to  take  hold  of  the  enemy's  foot,  then 
pulled  himself  up  as  straight  as  a  soldier, 
wings  and  tail  constantly  jerking  with  excite- 
ment. After  indulging  for  some  time  in  these 
proceedings,  he  dodged  around  behind  the  glass, 
plainly  expecting  to  pounce  upon  his  opponent, 
and  surprised  not  to  do  so.  Several  times  he 
drew  himself  up,  swelled  out  his  breast,  and 
blustered  before  the  glass.  Once  he  flew  up 
with  the  reflection  in  the  manner  of  a  quar- 
relsome cock,  and  upon  reaching  the  top  of  the 
glass,  naturally  went  over  and  landed  behind, 
without  an  enemy  in  sight.  Upon  this  he  stared 
a  moment,  as  if  dazed,  then  shook  himself  out, 
and  flew  away  in  evident  disgust. 

The  deliberate,  leisurely  dressing  of  plumage, 


A  HASTY  TOILET.  89 

with  which  many  birds  pass  away  the  dull  hours, 
is  an  occupation  in  which  the  mocking-bird 
never  had  time  to  indulge.  He  was  a  bird  of 
affairs ;  he  had  too  much  on  his  mind  for  loi- 
tering. A  few  sudden,  thorough  shakes,  a  rapid 
snatching  of  the  wing  and  tail  feathers  through 
the  beak,  or,  after  a  bath,  a  violent  beating  the 
air  with  both  wings  while  holding  tightly  to  the 
perch  with  his  feet,  sufficed  for  his  toilet. 
Notwithstanding  his  apparent  carelessness,  his 
plumage  was  soft  and  exquisite  in  texture,  and 
when  wet  the  downy  breast  feathers  matted  to- 
gether and  hung  in  locks,  like  hair.  Through  a 
common  magnifying  glass  each  tiny  barbule 
was  seen  to  be  ringed  with  gray  and  silvery 
white,  so  finely  that  the  rings  could  hardly  be 
seen. 

The  most  beautiful  and  peculiar  attitude  this 
bird  assumed  was  when  conducting  an  attack 
upon  a  small  object.  Seeing  one  day  a  steel 
pen-point  black  with  ink,  he  stood  before  it  at  a 
respectful  distance,  and  raised  both  wings  over 
his  back  till  they  almost  touched  each  other, 
holding  the  tail  on  one  side.  In  two  or  three 
seconds  he  lowered  the  wings  a  moment,  then 
raised  them  again,  while  his  tail  leaned  the  other 
side.  After  half  a  dozen  such  feints  he  deliv- 
ered a  gentle  peck,  and  instantly  hopped  back 
out  of  the  way.  Seeing  that  it  did  not  move,  he 


90  ATTACKING  A  PARROT. 

took  it  in  his  bill  and  flew  to  the  floor,  where 
he  soon  satisfied  himself  that  it  was  not  a  new 
variety  of  beetle.  This  was  always  his  method 
with  any  new  object  of  small  size. 

Not  only  did  this  doughty  warrior  vanquish 
the  ordinary  birds  about  him,  but  when  a  gray 
African  parrot  made  his  appearance  in  the  room 
(on  a  short  visit)  he  boldly  attacked  him,  in 
spite  of  his  size  and  strength.  The  parrot  had  a 
temporary  perch  before  the  window,  and  on  the 
cage  nearest  to  him  the  mocking-bird  took  his 
place,  and  after  posturing  and  threatening, 
stooped  to  a  crouching  position,  and  then  darted 
past  him,  trying  to  hit  him  as  he  went.  The 
first  time  this  occurred  the  parrot  whirled  on 
his  perch  and  cried  "  Whoo !  "  and  after  that 
greeted  every  charge  with  a  very  good  imitation 
of  a  policeman's  rattle,  probably  as  the  loudest 
and  most  terrifying  noise  he  could  make.  So 
determined  was  the  belligerent  fellow  to  subdue 
or  annihilate  the  larger  bird,  and  so  reckless 
were  his  attacks,  that  I  had  to  keep  him  a  pris- 
oner during  the  few  days  the  parrot  was  in  the 
room,  for  hospitality  must  not  be  violated.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  that  so  great  was  his  va- 
riety of  resource  that  he  had  a  distinctly  differ- 
ent method  of  warfare  in  each  of  the  six  cases 
mentioned. 

A  dignified  composure  was  so  natural  to  my 


SUBMISSIVE   TO  THE  INEVITABLE.          91 

bird  that  he  was  never  startled  out  of  it,  not 
even  when  suddenly  enveloped  in  a  shawl,  a 
proceeding  that  greatly  alarms  birds  of  less  self- 
possession.  It  was  necessary  on  one  occasion 
to  catch  him  to  return  him  to  his  cage,  where  he 
might  be  protected  from  the  cold  of  the  night. 
All  the  usual  ways  were  tried  without  success, 
so  lightly  did  he  slip  away,  so  gracefully  and 
calmly  did  he  flutter  around  the  room,  not  in  the 
least  disturbed  or  confused  by  the  darkness,  and 
quite  willing  to  play  hide-and-seek  all  night. 
No  other  way  availing,  the  last  resource  was 
tried  —  throwing  a  shawl  over  him  as  he  stood 
crouched  on  the  top  of  the  cage,  ready  for  in- 
stant flight.  Not  a  flutter  nor  a  cry  arose,  and 
it  seemed  that  he  must  have  escaped ;  but  on 
looking  through  the  cage  from  below,  he  was 
seen  flattened  against  the  wires,  but  perfectly 
quiet,  submissive  to  the  inevitable,  like  any 
other  philosopher.  He  was  gathered  up  in  the 
folds  and  carefully  uncovered  before  his  own 
door,  when  he  simply  hopped  to  a  perch  and 
coolly  returned  the  gaze  of  his  captors,  not  a 
feather  out  of  place,  not  in  the  smallest  degree 
disconcerted. 

Amusements  were  not  lacking  in  this  inter- 
esting life  aside  from  the  pleasures  of  worrying 
arid  teasing,  which  plainly  were  entertainments 
for  him.  He  indulged  in  other  performances 


92  MAD  FROLICS. 

which  distinctly  were  play.  Especially  was  this 
true  of  the  habit  he  imitated  from  the  Mexi- 
can, —  tramping  across  two  cages  heavily,  with 
as  much  noise  as  possible,  and  then  with  an  ex- 
travagant jump  landing  on  another  cage,  where 
he  was  received  with  a  scolding,  which  appar- 
ently pleased  him  as  much  as  any  part  of  it. 
A  specially  quick  flying-run  rattled  a  paper 
fastened  against  the  wall,  which  delighted  him 
greatly ;  and  when  the  cages  were  covered  with 
paper,  to  put  an  end  to  the  proceeding  which 
annoyed  the  residents,  he  regarded  it  as  a  par- 
ticular attention,  and  enjoyed  it  more  than  ever, 
doubtless  because  it  enabled  him  to  make  a 
louder  noise.  Often  he  diverted  himself  by  a 
mad  frolic  in  his  cage ;  from  place  to  place  he 
went  half  flying,  and  scarcely  touching  anything ; 
back  and  forth,  with  great  flutter  of  wings  and 
great  noise ;  up  and  down,  under  and  over  and 
around  his  perches,  in  the  same  wild  way,  so 
that  it  seemed  as  if  he  must  beat  his  brains  out. 
Then  suddenly,  when  most  riotous,  he  alighted 
like  a  feather,  the  image  of  serenity  and  repose. 
Sometimes  he  was  seized  with  this  sort  of  fury 
of  play  when  out  of  his  cage,  and  then  he  flung 
himself  about  the  room  in  the  same  frantic 
manner,  scarcely  touching  a  perch,  diving  under 
a  table,  between  the  rounds  of  a  chair,  over  a 
gas-fixture,  behind  and  through  any  openings  he 


NOT  MALICE  BUT  MISCHIEF.  93 

could  find.  Should  some  bird  in  the  room  dis- 
approve of  this  behavior,  and  scold,  as  the  finch 
was  quite  apt  to  do,  the  mocking-bird  instantly 
alighted  beside  him,  humped  his  back  till  he 
looked  deformed,  sidled  two  or  three  steps  to- 
wards him,  stopped,  and  stared  at  his  critic  ;  then 
two  or  three  steps  more,  stopping  again,  and  in 
every  way  acting  more  like  a  mischievous  mon- 
ster than  a  bird,  till  the  astonished  finch  was 
reduced  to  silence,  and  as  meek  as  poor  Mrs. 
Quilp  before  the  antics  of  her  malicious  little 
spouse. 

In  all  these  actions,  even  in  his  contests  with 
his  room-mates,  no  anger  ever  appeared  on  the 
part  of  the  mocking-bird;  everything  seemed 
done  to  amuse  himself  and  pass  away  the  weary 
hours,  rather  than  from  desire  to  hurt  his  neigh- 
bors. In  fact,  he  never  did  positively  touch  a 
bird,  to  my  knowledge,  though  he  always  acted 
as  though  he  intended  to  annihilate  them.  He 
could  hardly  be  called  malicious  ;  rather  (shall 
we  say  ?)  mischievous,  and  like  Ariel  "  a  tricksy 
spirit." 


THE  "WISE  BLUEBIKD." 


Never  was  sweeter  music  — 

Sunshine  turned  into  song. 
To  set  us  dreaming  of  summer, 

When  the  days  and  the  dreams  are  long. 

Winged  lute  that  we  call  a  bluebird, 

You  blend  in  a  silver  strain 
The  sound  of  the  laughing  waters, 

The  patter  of  spring's  sweet  rain, 
The  voice  of  the  wind,  the  sunshine, 

And  fragrance  of  blossoming  things. 
Ah !  you  are  a  poem  of  April, 

That  God  endowed  with  wings. 

EBEN.  E.  KEXFORD. 


V. 

THE  "WISE  BLUEBIRD.'' 


"A  wise  bluebird 
Puts  in  his  little  heavenly  word." 

THE  characteristic  air  and  expression  of  the 
bluebird,  and  his  enchanting  little  warble,  could 
not  be  better  described  in  a  page  of  writing  than 
the  poet  has  here  done  in  a  couplet. 

Who  has  not  seen  him  in  his  favorite  resting- 
place,  the  lowest  branch  of  an  apple-tree,  stand- 
ing up  very  straight,  crown  feathers  erected, 
honest  little  countenance  squarely  facing  one, 
motionless  and  silent,  looking  the  embodiment 
of  wisdom  ! 

A  pair  of  bluebirds  lived  in  my  house  for 
nearly  a  year,  and  the  calm,  imposing  manner 
of  the  male  I  have  never  seen  disturbed.  In 
the  presence  of  birds  much  larger  than  himself 
he  never  lost  his  equanimity,  paid  not  the 
slightest  attention  to  any  one,  went  about  his 
daily  duties  and  pleasures  exactly  as  though 
there  were  not  another  bird,  except  his  mate, 


98  PROTECTING  HER  SPOUSE. 

in  the  room.  Quite  otherwise  was  his  little 
spouse:  quick,  nervous,  easily  frightened,  yet 
assuming  the  responsibility  of  everything,  even 
her  lord's  comfort  and  safety.  Her  very  atti- 
tude was  different ;  she  held  her  body  horizon- 
tal, never  perpendicular,  as  he  did;  and  she 
was  more  lively  in  movement.  She  was  a 
brave  little  soul,  too.  Even  when  greatly 
annoyed  by  a  larger  bird,  she  never  failed  to 
stand  upon  the  defensive,  open  her  mouth,  and 
sometimes  remonstrate  in  low,  gentle  talk. 
Nor  did  she  —  after  she  felt  at  home  —  allow  a 
stranger  to  enter  her  door.  She  boldly  faced 
the  largest  bird  in  the  room,  and  always  forced 
him  to  retire,  while  her  mate  stood  calm  and  cool 
and  "  wise,"  on  the  upper  perch.  More  than 
this,  she  seemed  to  feel  it  part  of  her  duty  to 
defend  and  protect  his  lordship,  as  though  he 
were  too  fragile  to  come  into  contact  with  the 
rough  side  of  life.  Nothing  could  be  droller 
than  to  see  her  stand  guard  while  he  bathed  in 
the  common  dish  on  the  table,  and  fly  furiously 
at  the  grosbeak,  or  any  bird  coming  too  near  her 
precious  idol,  who  meanwhile  placidly  pro- 
ceeded with  his  bath  in  the  most  matter-of-fact 
manner,  as  though  expecting  to  be  protected. 
I  have  seen  similar  conduct  in  a  wild  pair :  the 
female  defending  her  nestlings  against  some 
fancied  danger,  scolding,  flying  around  the 


AN  IMPRUDENT  BABY.  99 

intruder,  and  taking  the  whole  care  upon  her- 
self ;  while  her  spouse  occupied  the  topmost 
twig  of  the  tree  on  which  his  family  was  in 
trouble,  uttering  at  short  intervals  his  musical 
cry  of  distress,  one  rich,  loud  note. 

I  did,  however,  on  one  occasion  see  a  male 
bluebird  excited  in  the  defense  of  his  young. 
It  was  in  North  Carolina,  where  a  nestling 
chanced  to  alight  on  the  favorite  resting-place 
of  a  mocking-bird,  and  the  latter  a  moment 
afterward  came  to  his  usual  perch  not  a  foot 
from  the  wild-eyed  youngster.  Then  arose  a 
great  outcry  from  both  bluebirds,  and  one  after 
the  other  swooped  down  at  that  mocking-bird, 
coming  so  near  I  thought  they  must  hit  him. 
Again  and  again  they  returned  to  the  charge 
with  loud  cries,  while  the  mocking-bird  stood 
quiet,  crouched  as  though  to  dash  into  the 
little  one,  and  jerking  wings  and  tail  in  a 
wicked  manner.  It  lasted  but  a  moment,  for 
the  nestling  itself  was  scared  and  flew  to  an- 
other branch,  upon  which  the  attack  came  to 
an  end,  and  the  mother  went  to  the  baby,  but 
the  father  stood  on  a  perch  near  the  enemy, 
and  scolded  for  some  time. 

Perhaps  this  individual  bluebird  had  learned 
to  assist  in  the  family  defense,  for  they  had 
other  troubles.  The  nest  was  in  an  unsafe 
spot,  the  hollow  dead  limb  of  a  tall  pine-tree, 


100  A  BLUEBIRD  TRAGEDY. 

about  seventy  feet  above  the  ground.  The 
opening  was  in  the  lower  side  of  the  sloping 
branch,  making  it  very  easy  for  a  nestling  to 
fall  out,  and  that  is  what  I  think  happened  the 
day  before  the  little  scene  above  described. 

Hearing  cries  of  distress  from  the  pine 
grove,  I  hastened  down  to  see  if  I  could  be  of 
any  assistance.  Both  bluebirds  were  on  a  low 
tree,  about  a  foot  apart,  uttering  constantly 
the  mournful  notes  I  had  heard.  Evidently  a 
tragedy  of  some  sort  had  occurred,  and  I  thought 
at  once  of  a  falling  little  one.  I  looked  carefully 
around  the  tree  while  the  parents  came  down 
near  me,  much  disturbed.  I  found  nothing,  but 
a  gale  was  blowing  and  a  little  bird  might 
easily  have  been  driven  far  away.  It  was  a 
serious  matter  plainly,  for  the  cries  went  on 
without  intermission  the  rest  of  the  day. 

During  that  time  I  saw  a  curious  and  inter- 
esting attempt  at  consolation  on  the  part  of  the 
male.  He  flew  away,  and  returned  in  a  few 
moments  with  something  in  his  beak.  Alight- 
ing near  his  mate,  he  began  a  low,  tender 
twitter,  at  the  same  time  offering  the  morsel  to 
her.  She  moved  a  few  inches  away ;  he  fol- 
lowed, still  coaxing.  She  flew  to  another 
branch,  refusing  to  look  at  it.  He  followed, 
still  asking  her  to  accept  it.  At  last  she  flew 
away,  and  he  seemed  astounded,  stood  as  if  he 


A  TENDER  PAIR.  101 

did  not  know  what  to  do  next,  hesitated  sev- 
eral minutes,  when  a  bright  thought  seemed  to 
strike  him,  and  he  carried  it  to  the  nest. 

The  pair  in  my  room  were  a  most  affectionate 
and  gentle  couple  ;  no  disputes,  not  even  the 
smallest  difference,  arose  between  them.  If 
one  wished  to  bathe  while  the  other  was  using 
the  bath-tub,  he  stood  on  the  edge  till  his  turn 
came.  In  the  same  way  one  usually  waited  for 
the  other  to  finish  a  lunch  before  going  down 
himself,  though  on  rare  occasions  they  descended 
together  for  a  social  meal.  If  she  were  alarmed, 
and  went  to  the  floor,  as  at  first  sometimes  hap- 
pened, he  at  once  appeared  in  the  door,  looking 
anxiously  after  her,  and  calling  tenderly.  If 
she  did  not  return,  he  flew  down  himself,  ran 
about  till  he  found  her,  and,  after  talking  in  a 
low  tone  for  some  time,  started  for  home,  when 
she  followed  him,  showing  that  she  was  reas- 
sured. They  always  sat  on  the  same  perch, 
and  on  cool  days  as  near  each  other  as  possible, 
first  one  and  then  the  other  "  hitching  "  a  little 
nearer.  After  bathing  they  sunned  themselves 
together,  even  when  in  the  cage,  where  the  sun- 
shine came  only  into  one  corner,  and  they 
crowded  so  closely  that  there  was  not  room  to 
spread  out.  Even  that  discomfort  never  elicited 
a  harsh  word,  though  he  enjoyed  spreading 
himself  very  completely,  bending  his  legs,  rest- 


102  SHE  NIPPED  HIS  TOES. 

ing  his  breast  on  the  floor,  and  opening  his 
wings  to  their  full  extent. 

This  bird's  anxiety  when  his  mate  was  out 
of  his  sight  did  not,  however,  compare  with  her 
unrest  in  his  absence,  for  her  affection  seemed 
to  be  of  the  motherly  or  protecting  sort.  Be- 
fore they  became  familiar  with  the  room,  and 
learned  that,  though  unseen,  the  partner  was 
not  lost,  the  moment  he  disappeared  from  view 
she  began  running  around  the  cage  excitedly, 
looking  everywhere,  and  calling  loudly.  At  first 
he  answered,  but,  deciding  to  try  his  wings,  he 
swept  around  the  room,  came  —  as  some  birds 
do  —  against  the  window,  and  fell  to  the  floor, 
when  instantly  both  were  perfectly  silent.  She 
looked  out  apprehensively,  and  as  soon  as  he 
recovered  breath  he  flew  to  the  top  of  their  own 
cage.  Then  her  solicitude  turned  to  annoyance  ; 
she  went  to  the  top  perch,  and  gently  nipped  his 
toes  (which  she  never  did  to  strangers)  as  a 
slight  reproof.  He  became  accustomed  to  going 
out  and  in  sooner  than  his  mate,  for  she  was  shy 
and  inclined  to  stay  at  home,  and  she  suffered 
much  anxiety  ;  before  long  she  too  grew  accus- 
tomed to  freedom,  and  expressed  no  further 
fears  when  he  was  out. 

Making  arrangements  for  the  night  was  an 
interesting  event  in  bluebird  life.  They  always 
selected  the  highest  perch  in  the  darkest  end 


GOING  TO  BED.  103 

of  the  cage,  and  placed  themselves  so  close 
together  that  they  looked  like  a  wide  ball,  or 
two  balls  that  had  been  almost  pressed  into  one 
when  in  a  very  soft  state.  In  the  morning  the 
feathers  on  the  side  next  the  mate  were  crushed 
flat,  requiring  much  shaking  and  dressing  to 
give  them  their  ordinary  appearance.  What 
was  curious,  the  female  took  the  outside,  no 
doubt  with  the  motherly  motive  of  taking  care 
of  him.  To  see  them  settle  themselves  was 
pleasing.  Being  more  quiet  and  less  nervous 
than  his  spouse,  the  singer  generally  retired 
first,  some  time  before  she  was  ready,  and  com- 
posed himself  in  a  moment  in  his  corner,  for 
they  were  never  restless  at  evening ;  she  fol- 
lowed when  she  chose.  Occasionally,  however, 
she  went  first,  taking  her  place  about  as  far  as 
usual  from  the  wires,  and  leaving  space  for 
him.  But  if  he  went  to  his  place,  there  was 
not  room  to  turn  around,  facing  the  middle  of 
the  cage,  as  was  their  custom ;  and  he  seemed 
to  appreciate  the  difficulty,  for  he  hopped  up 
on  the  outside,  or  the  wrong  side  of  her.  In- 
stantly she  jumped  to  a  lower  perch,  when  he 
sidled  up  to  his  regular  place,  and  she  at  once 
returned  and  took  her  usual  position  beside 
him.  One  night  something  startled  them,  and 
both  flew  wildly  around  the  cage.  I  produced 
a  light  to  show  them  the  perches,  so  they  might 


104  A    QUEER  LITTLE  TALK. 

quiet  themselves  >gain.  The  male  readily  did 
so,  but  she  remained  on  the  lower  perch.  I 
went  close  to  the  wires  and  began  to  speak 
soothingly,  to  calm  her,  and  induce  her  to 
resume  her  place,  when,  to  my  surprise,  she 
began  to  reply  to  me,  every  time  I  spoke,  stand- 
ing less  than  a  foot  from  me.  She  stared  me 
full  in  the  face,  not  at  all  disturbed,  and 
answered  every  word  I  said  with  her  musical 
call,  in  a  low  tone,  as  if  to  tell  me  the  story  of 
the  fright.  We  kept  up  the  queer  little  chat 
for  several  minutes,  and  she  did  not  return  to 
his  side  that  night. 

One  advantage  of  studying  two  birds  of  a 
kind  at  the  same  time  is  to  observe  the  talk 
between  them,  which  has  great  interest  for  me. 
This  pair  were  exceedingly  talkative  at  first, 
uttering  not  only  the  usual  musical  three-syl- 
lable warble  or  call,  which  Lanier  aptly  calls 
the  "  heavenly  word,"  but  often  soft  twittering 
prattle,  of  varying  inflection  and  irregular 
length,  which  was  certainly  the  most  interest- 
ing bird-talk  I  ever  heard.  When  they  could 
not  see  me  they  indulged  in  it  more  freely, 
with  changing  tones  at  different  times,  and 
after  they  became  accustomed  to  the  room  and 
its  inhabitants  it  was  neither  so  frequent  nor  so 
earnest.  Often  at  night,  when  one  —  perhaps 
in  a  dream  —  fell  off  the  perch,  I  heard  much 


BIRD    TALK.  105 

low,  tender  talk,  almost  in  a  whisper,  before  all 
was  quiet  again ;  and  when  another  bird  flew 
wildly  around  the  room,  there  was  always  a 
remark  or  two  in  an  interested  tone.  The 
male  did  most  of  the  talking,  carrying  on,  often 
for  a  long  time,  a  constant  flow  of  what  sounded 
marvelously  like  comments  and  criticisms, 
while  his  mate  replied  occasionally  with  the 
usual  call.  Certain  notes  plainly  had  a  specific 
meaning,  even  to  the  others  in  the  room.  One 
in  particular  was  peculiar  and  low,  but  upon 
its  utterance  every  bird  became  instantly  silent 
and  looked  at  the  cage,  while  the  bluebirds 
themselves  were  so  absorbed,  gazing  apparently 
into  blank  space,  that  I  could  easily  put  my 
hands  on  them  before  they  observed  me.  For 
several  minutes  this  low  note  would  be  repeated, 
and  all  the  birds  stare  at  nothing,  till  I  began 
to  feel  almost  uncomfortable,  as  I  have  done  at 
similar  staring  at  nothing  on  the  part  of  ani- 
mals. One  can  hardly  resist  the  feeling  that 
these  creatures  can  see  something  invisible  to 
our  eyes.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  male  ut- 
tered this  note,  the  female  was  just  about  to 
eat ;  she  stood  as  if  petrified,  with  head  half- 
way down  to  the  food,  for  two  or  three  min- 
utes. 

What  I   have   called  talk  was   a  very  low 
twitter  in  a  conversational  tone,  on  one  note, 


106          DISAGREEMENT  IN  THE  FAMILY. 

not  at  all  in  a  singing  tone,  like  the  usual 
warble  or  call.  I  have  also  heard  it  from  wild 
bluebirds,  when  I  could  get  near  enough.  From 
the  first,  as  said  above,  the  male  did  most  of 
the  talking,  and  the  habit  grew  upon  him,  till 
he  became  a  regular  babbler,  standing  on  the 
top  perch,  and  keeping  it  up  persistently  all 
day  long.  I  think  it  arose  from  the  fact  that 
the  greater  number  of  birds  in  the  room  were 
thrushes,  who  sang  very  softly,  without  open- 
ing the  mouth.  With  this  gentle  ripple  of 
song  the  bluebird's  voice  harmonized  perfectly, 
and  he  almost  entirely  discontinued  his  lovely 
song,  while  indulging  himself  in  talk  by  the 
hour.  Strange  to  say,  I  soon  noticed  that  his 
mate  did  not  approve  of  it,  and  would  not 
stand  on  the  perch  beside  him  while  he  con- 
tinued it.  At  first  she  turned  sharply  towards 
him,  and  he  showed  that  he  understood  her 
wishes  by  ceasing  for  a  while ;  but  as  the  habit 
grew,  and  he  was  not  so  easily  silenced,  she 
more  and  more  deserted  his  side,  and  after  two 
or  three  weeks  I  heard  occasionally  a  gentle  re- 
monstrance from  her.  I  do  not  believe  a  really 
harsh  tone  can  come  from  a  bluebird  throat. 
One  day  they  were  taking  their  usual  midday 
nap  on  the  same  perch,  when  a  thrush  across 
the  window  began  his  low  song.  That  started 
the  bluebird,  and  he  added  his  chatter,  which 


DEMANDING  MEALWORMS.  107 

awakened  his  mate.  She  endured  it  for  about 
five  seconds,  and  then  she  suddenly  stretched 
the  wing  nearest  him  so  far  that  he  was  obliged 
to  move  away,  when  she  instantly  hopped  down 
herself. 

The  two  bluebirds  differed  in  intelligence. 
The  female  was  quicker  to  take  an  idea,  but 
the  male  sooner  conquered  his  fear.  The  first 
time  I  offered  mealworms  to  them  she  was  so 
lively  as  to  secure  more  than  her  share ;  but 
he  learned  in  a  day  or  two  that  worms  were  to 
be  had  outside,  especially  on  my  desk,  when  he 
at  once  flew  over  to  me  and  demanded  them,  in 
the  funniest  little  defiant  way,  looking  at  me 
most  significantly,  and  wiping  his  bill  ostenta- 
tiously, then  jerking  himself  with  great  show 
of  impatience.  Words  could  not  be  plainer. 
Neither  of  them  had  difficulty  in  telling  me 
their  food- dish  was  empty  ;  they  stood  on  the 
edge  and  looked  at  me,  then  scraped  the  bill 
several  times,  making  much  noise  about  it,  then 
looked  at  me  again.  I  knew  in  a  moment,  the 
first  time,  what  they  wanted.  When  the  male 
found  out  that  another  bird  alighted  on  a  stick 
I  held  out  to  him,  and  was  carried  off  upon  it, 
he  seemed  to  be  seized  with  curiosity,  and  the 
next  time  I  offered  it  he  jumped  upon  it  be- 
side the  other,  and  allowed  himself  to  be  lifted 
to  the  desk.  At  one  time,  in  flying  around,  he 


108  A  8AUCY  TRICK. 

caught  his  feet  in  the  coarse  net  curtains  I  hung 
before  the  windows  to  keep  strange  birds  from 
trying  to  fly  out.  I  went  at  once  to  him  and 
took  him  off.  He  scolded,  fluttered,  and 
pecked,  and,  when  I  had  released  him,  flew 
directly  against  another  curtain  and  caught 
again.  I  went  over  to  him,  and  this  time  he 
understood  that  I  was  helping  him  ;  he  neither 
struggled  nor  pecked,  and  flew  quietly  when  I 
set  him  free. 

The  bluebird  never  showed  any  curiosity 
about  the  room  or  the  world  outside  the  win- 
dows, but  sat  on  his  door  perch  for  hours,  with 
a  sharp  eye  to  the  worm  supply.  The  appear- 
ance of  the  cup  that  held  them  was  a  signal  for 
him  to  come  down  and  beg  for  them,  but  his 
little  mate  never  dared  trust  herself  on  the 
desk,  though  when  I  threw  a  worm  on  the  floor 
she  invariably  secured  it.  So  fond  was  she  of 
this  delicacy  that  she  once  played  a  saucy  trick 
upon  a  scarlet  tanager.  Having  received  a 
worm,  he  went  into  the  first  open  door  he  saw, 
—  which  happened  to  be  the  bluebird's,  —  to 
find  a  place  to  manipulate  the  morsel,  which  he 
never  swallowed  whole.  Madam  stood  on  the 
perch  just  above  the  entrance,  and  as  he  came 
in  she  leaned  over  and  snatched  it  out  of  his 
mouth,  swallowed  it,  wiped  her  bill,  and  turned 
to  him,  ready  for  another.  His  stare  of  blank 


FANNING  HERSELF  DRY.  109 

amazement  was  amusing  to  see,  but  he  quickly 
made  up  his  mind  that  it  was  not  a  safe  place 
to  eat,  and  when  I  gave  him  another  he  went 
to  the  roof  of  the  same  cage.  She  instantly 
mounted  the  top  perch,  put  up  her  bill  and 
seized  the  worm;  but  he  held  on,  dragged  it 
away,  and  then  retired  to  his  own  cage  with  it. 
She  positively  could  not  resist  this  temptation, 
and  even  from  her  own  cherished  spouse  she 
would  sometimes  snatch  the  desired  tidbit. 

The  bluebirds'  method  of  bathing  differed 
from  any  I  have  noticed.  They  put  the  head 
under  water,  and  held  it  there,  while  spattering 
vigorously  with  wings  and  tail.  On  leaving  the 
bath  the  female  fanned  herself  dry,  holding 
tightly  to  the  perch  and  beating  her  wings  with 
violence,  while  dancing  back  and  forth  the 
whole  length  of  the  perch,  in  a  bewitching  man- 
ner. Her  mate  fanned  himself  also,  adding  a 
very  pretty  lateral  shake  of  the  wings,  and  rais- 
ing the  feathers  on  the  crown  and  throat  till  he 
looked  twice  as  big  as  usual.  But  he  was  very 
fond  of  sunning  himself  dry,  in  the  attitude  al- 
ready spoken  of.  That  position,  by  the  way, 
was  a  not  unusual  one  with  him  ;  he  often 
hopped  the  length  of  three  feet  before  a  blind 
which  stood  against  the  wall,  his  legs  bent, 
head  nearly  touching  the  floor,  and  tail  thrust 
almost  straight  up.  A  droll  figure  he  made. 


110  BLUEBIRD  COURTSHIP. 

After  hopping  to  the  end  of  the  blind,  he  would 
dash  around  behind  it,  as  if  he  expected  or 
hoped  to  find  something. 

After  moulting,  the  birds  feathered  out  beau- 
tifully, and  their  spirits  rose  in  proportion. 
They  delighted  in  flight,  making  long,  sweep- 
ing circles  around  the  room,  again  and  again, 
without  stopping.  A  few  weeks  later,  as  spring 
approached,  they  grew  somewhat  belligerent 
towards  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  place ; 
driving  every  bird  away  from  their  cage,  even 
following  them  to  their  chosen  resting-places, 
insisting  on  their  right  to  every  perch  in  the 
room.  Then,  too,  began  signs  of  courtship  be- 
tween the  lovely  pair.  The  first  thing  I  noticed 
was  at  worm-feeding  time.  One  day  I  had 
given  each  of  them  their  portion.  The  female 
swallowed  hers  instantly,  and  I  turned  to  an- 
other cage,  when  I  heard  a  low,  coaxing  cry 
many  times  repeated.  I  looked  around.  The 
male  stood  on  the  upper  perch,  still  holding  his 
worm,  which  he  usually  dispatched  as  quickly 
as  his  mate  did  hers ;  and  she  was  on  a  lower 
perch,  looking  up  at  him,  mouth  open,  wings 
fluttering,  asking  for  it.  While  I  looked,  he 
hopped  down  beside  her,  she  opened  her  mouth 
wide,  and  he  fed  her  as  if  she  were  a  nestling. 
He  was  more  amiable  than  a  wild  bluebird  I 
once  saw,  who  had  brought  up  a  long  earth- 


REFUSED   TO  SHARE.  Ill 

worm,  and  was  beating  it  on  the  top  of  a  post 
preparatory  to  swallowing  it,  when  his  little 
spouse  —  who  was  sitting  at  the  time  —  came 
to  the  fence  rail  below  him,  and  asked  in  the 
same  way  for  a  bit.  So  far  from  sharing  it  with 
her,  this  greedy  bird  simply  took  a  fresh  hold 
of  his  prize,  flew  to  a  tree,  and  gobbled  it  down 
with  difficulty  himself.  Not  so  my  generous 
captive.  The  next  day  he  complied  with  her 
request  again,  and  after  that  it  was  he  who  did 
the  tender  coaxing,  begging  her  to  accept  the 
slight  offering  of  his  love.  Soon,  too,  she  grew 
coquettish  in  manner,  often  turned  a  cold  shoul- 
der to  him,  opened  her  mouth  at  him,  and 
scolded  in  the  sweetest  and  softest  voice ;  and 
one  night,  after  they  had  settled  on  their  perch, 
I  heard  gentle  talk,  and  saw  a  little  peck  or 
two  on  her  part.  He  did  the  talking,  and  she 
delivered  the  playful  peck  or  push  as  reply. 
Now,  too,  in  his  desire  to  manifest  his  affection, 
he  could  not  always  wait  for  worms,  but  picked 
dainty  bits  from  the  food-dish,  and  tendered 
them  in  the  same  pretty  way.  She  always  ac- 
cepted, though  often  she  went  at  once  to  the 
food-dish  and  ate  for  herself ;  for  with  all  this 
sentiment  and  love-making  her  appetite  did  not 
fail.  Once  she  was  outside  and  he  inside  the 
cage,  when  he  began  to  call  and  offer  her  some- 
thing out  of  his  mouth.  She  did  not  wish  to 


112  ATTACKED  BY  TRAMPS. 

go  in,  so  she  flew  to  a  perch  that  ran  through 
the  cage,  and  stood  close  to  the  wires,  while  he 
went  to  the  same  perch  inside,  and  fed  her 
through  the  wires. 

About  this  time,  too,  the  bluebird  talk  nearly 
ceased,  and  instead  of  it  the  lovely  song  of  three 
notes  was  heard  all  day,  and  a  little  change  they 
made  in  it  —  throwing  in  a  "grace note"  be- 
tween the  second  and  third  —  greatly  added  to 
its  charm.  Now,  too,  spring  had  really  come, 
and  I  waited  only  for  warm  days  to  let  them  go 
and  set  up  their  homestead  in  freedom.  The  first 
mild  day  in  May  the  window  was  opened  for 
them.  The  female  flew  first  to  a  tree  in  front 
of  the  house,  where  she  was  greeted  in  the  rud- 
est manner  by  the  bird-tramps  which  infest  our 
streets,  —  the  house-sparrows.  They  began  to 
assemble  around  her,  no  doubt  prepared  for  at- 
tack, when  she  gave  a  loud  cry  of  distress,  and 
out  flew  her  valiant  knight  to  her  aid.  After  a 
moment's  pause  by  her  side,  they  both  flew,  and 
we  saw  the  gentle  pair  no  more. 

This  true  chronicle  began  with  a  quotation 
from  Lanier ;  it  shall  end  with  one  from  Har- 
riet Prescott  Spofford :  — 

"  A  bit  of  heaven  itself,  he  flew, 
When  earth  seemed  heaven  with  bees  and  bloom, 
South  wind,  and  sunshine,  and  perfume ; 
And  morning  were  not  morn  without  him. 

Winging,  springing,  always  flinging, 

Flinging  music  all  about  him." 


THE  GOLDEN-WING. 


The  high-hole  flashing  his  golden  wings. 

WALT  WHITMAN. 


VI. 

THE  GOLDEN-WING. 


ONE  of  the  special  objects  of  my  search  dur- 
ing a  certain  June  among  the  hills  of  northern 
New  York  was  a  nest  of  the  golden-winged 
woodpecker ;  not  that  it  is  rare  or  hard  to  find, 
but  because  I  had  never  seen  one  and  had  read 
attractive  stories  of  the  bird's  domestic  rela- 
tions, the  large  number  of  young  in  the  nest, 
and  his  devotion,  and  pride.  Moreover,  I  had 
become  greatly  interested  in  the  whole  family, 
through  my  attachment  to  an  individual  mem- 
ber of  it  in  my  own  house. 

I  soon  discovered  that  the  orchard  at  the 
back  of  the  house  was  visited  every  day  by  a 
pair  of  the  birds  I  was  seeking.  One  was  seen 
running  up  and  down  a  trunk  of  a  large  poplar- 
tree,  and  the  next  morning  two  alighted  on  a 
dead  branch  at  the  top  of  an  apple-tree,  perch- 
ing like  other  birds  on  twigs,  which  seemed  too 
light  to  bear  their  weight.  But  they  were  ap- 
parently satisfied  with  them ;  for  they  stayed 


116  SEARCHING   THE   WOODS. 

some  time,  pluming  themselves  and  evidently 
looking  with  interest  and  astonishment  at  human 
intruders  into  what  had  no  doubt  been  a  favorite 
haunt  of  their  own.  I  watched  them  for  sev- 
eral minutes,  till  a  sudden  noise  startled  the 
shy  creatures  and  they  were  off  in  an  instant. 

After  that  I  saw  them  often  at  the  bottom 
of  the  orchard.  They  always  flew  over  the 
place  with  rather  a  heavy  business-like  flight, 
alighted  on  a  low  branch  of  the  farthest  apple- 
tree,  and  in  a  moment  dropped  to  the  ground 
where  the  long  grass  hid  them.  There  they 
remained  five  minutes  or  more  before  returning 
to  the  tree.  Unfortunately  it  was  a  little  far- 
ther than  I  could  readily  see  with  my  glass,  and 
the  most  cautious  approach  alarmed  them.  I 
heard  them  call  nearly  every  day  in  loud, 
strong  voice,  "  Pe-auk  !  pe-auk !  " 

Being  thus  baffled  in  my  plan  of  following 
them  home,  I  resolved  upon  a  regular  search  in 
the  small  piece  of  woods  where  they  always 
disappeared,  and  every  morning  I  spent  two  or 
three  hours  in  that  lovely  spot  looking  for  any 
birds,  but  especially  for  the  Golden-wing.  In 
all  my  search,  however,  I  found  but  one  nest, 
which  may  have  been  his,  where  apparently  a 
tragedy  had  occurred ;  for  from  the  edge  of  the 
opening  the  bark  was  torn  off  down  the  trunk, 
and  in  two  or  three  places  holes  were  picked 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED.  117 

as  though  to  reach  the  nest  which  had  been 
within. 

Whatever  the  drama  enacted  in  that  mys- 
terious home,  I  was  too  late  to  see,  and  I  have 
not  been  able  as  yet  to  make  close  acquaintance 
with  the  free  Golden-wing. 

The  bird  that  had  so  interested  me  in  his 
whole  family  I  found  in  a  bird  store  in  New 
York  in  the  month  of  November.  He  was  a 
most  disconsolate-looking  object,  and  so  pain- 
fully wild  I  could  scarcely  bear  to  look  at  him 
—  poor,  shy,  frightened  soul,  set  up  in  a  cage  to 
be  stared  at.  I  rescued  him  at  once  with  the 
intention  of  giving  him  a  more  retired  home, 
and  freedom  the  moment  spring  opened.  The 
change  did  not  at  first  reassure  him,  and  he 
was  so  frantic  that  his  cage  was  covered  to 
shut  out  the  sights  till  he  was  accustomed  to 
the  sounds  of  a  household.  Gradually,  an 
inch  or  two  at  a  time,  the  cover  that  hid  the 
world  from  him  was  reduced,  till  at  the  end  of 
three  weeks  he  could  endure  the  removal  of  the 
last  corner  without  going  absolutely  mad. 

On  the  first  day  an  opening  a  few  inches 
wide  was  left  in  his  screen,  so  that  he  might 
look  out  if  he  chose,  and  I  took  my  seat  as  far 
as  possible  from  him,  with  my  back  to  him,  and 
a  hand-glass  so  arranged  that  I  could  see  him. 
As  soon  as  the  room  was  quiet  he  went  to  the 


118  PEEPING  AT  ME. 

opening  and  cautiously  thrust  his  long  bill  and 
his  head  as  far  as  the  eye  beyond  the  edge  so 
that  he  could  see  me.  I  kept  perfectly  still, 
while  he  watched  me  several  minutes  with  evi- 
dent interest,  and  I  was  glad  to  see  that  it  was 
simply  fright  and  not  idiocy  that  caused  his 
panics. 

Many  emotions  of  the  bird  were  most  com- 
ically expressed  by  hammering.  In  embarrass- 
ment or  alarm,  when  not  so  great  as  to  drive 
him  wild,  he  resorted  to  that  diversion,  and  the 
more  disturbed,  the  louder  and  faster  his 
blows.  If  in  utter  despair,  as  when  I  set  his 
house  in  order  for  the  day,  he  dropped  to  the 
floor  on  the  farthest  side,  put  his  head  in  the 
corner,  and  pounded  the  tray  with  great  vio- 
lence. Every  wire  in  the  cage  in  turn  he  tested 
with  taps  of  his  beak,  thus  amusing  himself 
hours  at  a  time,  sitting,  as  was  his  custom, 
crouched  upon  the  perch  or  on  the  floor.  In 
this  way,  too,  he  tried  the  quality  of  the  plas- 
tered wall  behind  his  cage,  and  was  evidently 
pleased  to  find  it  yielding,  for  he  bored  many 
holes  and  tore  off  much  paper,  before  he  was 
discovered  and  provided  with  a  background  of 
wood  to  exercise  upon. 

The  unhappy  bird  had  a  serious  time  learn- 
ing to  eat  mocking-bird  food  with  his  long, 
curved  beak ;  he  never  became  very  expert  at  it, 


TURNED  HIS  BACK.  119 

but  was  as  awkward  as  a  child  learning  to  feed 
itself.  He  first  thrust  it  like  a  dagger  its  whole 
length  into  his  dish,  took  out  a  mouthful,  then 
turned  his  head  sidewise,  shook  it  and  snapped 
his  bill  one  side  and  the  other,  making  a  noise 
as  if  choking.  When  this  performance  was 
over,  he  scraped  his  beak  against  the  wires  and 
picked  off  the  fragments  daintily  with  the  tip. 
When  he  had  eaten  he  left  a  straight,  smooth 
hole  in  the  food,  like  a  stab,  two  inches  deep 
and  perhaps  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  In 
drinking  he  made  the  same  movements,  filling 
his  mouth,  throwing  back  his  head,  and  swallow- 
ing with  great  efforts. 

All  of  the  Golden-wing's  attitudes  were  pe- 
culiar ;  as,  for  instance,  he  never  liked  to  face 
one,  but  always  turned  his  back  upon  spectators 
and  looked  at  them  over  his  shoulder.  In 
sleeping  he  changed  his  position  often,  and  was 
as  restless  as  a  nervous  old  man.  Sometimes 
he  slept  on  the  perch,  puffed  out  into  a  ball  like 
other  birds,  head  buried  in  his  feathers,  tail 
broad-spread  and  curled  under  the  perch,  as 
though  it  needed  something  to  rest  against.  If 
he  began  his  night's  rest  (or  unrest)  in  this 
position,  in  a  few  hours  he  would  drop  heavily 
to  the  floor,  scramble  about  a  little,  and  then 
climb  to  one  of  the  supports  that  kept  the  wires 
in  place,  ten  inches  from  the  bottom  of  the 


120  A  SOUND  SLEEPER. 

cage.  There  he  settled  himself  comfortably, 
head  buried  again,  tail  pressed  against  the  wires, 
and  looking  more  like  a  spot  on  the  wall  than 
a  bird. 

He  often  took  naps  in  the  daytime  on  the 
floor  with  his  head  in  the  corner,  like  a  bad  boy 
in  punishment,  his  head  drawn  down  into  his 
shoulders  and  his  bill  thrust  up  into  the  air  at 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  If  this  tired 
him,  he  simply  turned  his  bill  down  at  about 
the  same  angle,  and  tried  it  that  way  awhile. 

He  was  an  exceedingly  early  bird,  always 
settled  to  sleep  long  before  any  other  in  the 
room,  and  he  slept  very  soundly,  being  not 
easily  wakened  and  breathing  in  long,  steady 
respirations  like  a  person  in  sleep.  Indeed  he 
startled  me  very  much  the  first  time  I  noticed 
him.  The  breathing  was  regular  and  strong, 
equal  in  duration  to  my  own  as  I  listened,  and 
I  was  sure  some  one  was  in  the  room.  I  has- 
tened to  light  the  gas  to  look  for  the  burglar, 
and  it  was  not  until  I  had  made  thorough 
search  that  I  discovered  who  was  the  guilty 
one.  He  dreamed  also,  if  one  may  judge  by 
the  sounds  that  came  from  his  cage  at  night, 
complaining,  whining,  almost  barking  like  the 
"  yaps  "  of  a  young  puppy,  and  many  sorts  of 
indescribable  noises. 

The   Golden- wing   was    extremely   fond    of 


HANGING  HIMSELF  UP.  121 

hanging  against  the  side  of  his  cage  on  the 
support  spoken  of  above.  Not  only  did  he 
sleep  in  that  position,  but  dress  his  plumage, 
turning  his  head  back  over  his  body  and  sides, 
and  even  arranging  the  feathers  of  his  breast, 
each  one  by  itself,  with  scrupulous  care.  Like 
many  others  this  bird  objected  to  having  his 
cage  used  as  a  perch  by  his  neighbors.  He 
expressed  his  sentiments  by  quick  jerks,  first  of 
the  shoulders  and  then  of  the  whole  body,  and 
if  the  intruder  did  not  take  the  hint,  he  opened 
his  enormous  bill  and  took  hold  of  a  stray  toe, 
which  usually  drove  away  the  most  imperti- 
nent. 

The  door  of  the  cage  was  opened  to  my  cap- 
tive as  soon  as  he  became  quiet  and  happy 
within  it.  After  his  first  surprise  and  dismay 
at  finding  himself  in  the  big  world  again,  he 
enjoyed  it  very  much.  Being  unable  to  fly 
through  the  loss  of  some  wing  feathers,  his  cage 
was  placed  on  the  floor,  and  he  ran  in  and  out 
at  pleasure.  He  was  more  than  usually  intelli- 
gent about  it,  too ;  for  although  the  door  was 
small,  and  he  had  to  lower  his  head  to  pass 
through,  he  was  never  at  a  loss  for  an  instant. 

One  thing  that  shows  a  bird's  characteristics 
and  that  I  have  never  seen  any  two  do  in  ex- 
actly the  same  way,  is  to  explore  a  room  when 
first  released  from  a  cage.  This  bird,  like  his 


122       A  DROLL  PATTER  OF  FEET. 

predecessors,  had  bis  own  peculiar  notion, 
which  was  to  go  behind  everything.  He 
squeezed  himself  between  a  trunk,  or  a  heavy 
piece  of  furniture,  and  the  wall,  where  it  did 
not  seem  possible  that  one  of  his  size  could 
pass,  and  showed  so  great  an  inclination  to  go 
through  a  hole  in  the  open-work  fire-board  that 
I  hastily  covered  it  up.  After  a  while  he  tested 
the  matting  and  carefully  investigated,  by  light 
taps  of  his  bill,  each  separate  nail.  His  step 
was  heavy,  and  he  did  not  hop,  but  ran  around 
with  a  droll  little  patter  of  the  feet,  like  a 
child's  footsteps. 

Having  exhausted  the  novelty  of  the  floor,  he 
turned  his  eyes  upward,  perhaps  noticing  that 
the  other  birds  were  higher  in  the  room,  where 
they  had  taken  refuge  when  he  made  his  sudden 
and  somewhat  alarming  appearance  among 
them.  He  did  not  try  to  fly,  but  he  was  not 
without  resources ;  he  could  jump,  and  no  one 
could  outdo  him  in  climbing,  or  in  holding  on. 
After  a  moment's  apparent  consideration  of  the 
means  at  his  command,  he  ran  to  the  corner 
and  mounted  a  trunk  by  springing  up  halfway, 
holding  on  a  moment  in  some  mysterious  man- 
ner, and  then  by  a  second  j  ump  landing  on  top. 
From  that  point  it  was  easy  to  reach  the  bird's 
table,  and  there  was  a  ladder  placed  for  the  ben- 
efit of  another  that  could  not  fly.  This  ladder 


USING  THE  LADDER.  123 

he  at  once  pounced  upon,  and  used  as  if  lie  had 
practiced  on  one  all  his  life. 

I  shut  the  cage-door  at  the  upper  end  to  keep 
him  out  of  his  neighbor's  house,  while  the 
owner,  an  American  wood-thrush,  stood  upon 
the  roof,  looking  ruefully  at  this  appropriation 
of  his  private  property.  Upon  reaching  the 
closed  door  the  traveler  jumped  across  to  an- 
other cage  nearly  a  foot  away.  This  was  a 
small  affair  occupied  by  an  English  goldfinch, 
who  was  then  at  home  and  not  pleased  by  the 
call,  as  he  at  once  made  known.  Golden-wing, 
however,  perhaps  with  the  idea  of  returning 
past  insults  from  the  saucy  little  finch,  jerked 
himself  all  around  the  cage,  inserting  his  long 
bill  as  though  trying  to  reach  something  inside. 

Having  wearied  of  annoying  the  enemy,  he 
sprang  back  to  the  ladder,  descended  by  the 
table  and  trunk  to  the  floor  as  he  had  gone  up, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation  as  to  the  way, 
which  proved  him  to  possess  unusual  intelli- 
gence. He  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  climb 
down,  but  put  his  two  feet  together  and  jumped 
heavily  like  a  child,  a  very  odd  movement  for 
a  bird.  It  was  his  constant  habit  in  the  cage 
to  jump  from  the  perch  to  the  floor,  and  from 
one  that  was  two  inches  above  the  tray  he  often 
stepped  down  backwards,  which  I  never  before 
saw  a  bird  do. 


124    ASKING  TO  HAVE   THE  DOOR  OPENED. 

When  after  three  hours  of  exploration  he 
returned  to  his  home,  the  door  was  closed  and 
^he  cage  hung  up.  He  was  satisfied  with  his 
first  outing,  and  refreshed  himself  with  a  nap 
at  once.  But  the  first  thing  the  next  morning 
he  came  down  to  his  door  and  pecked  the  wires, 
looking  over  at  me  most  intelligently,  plainly 
asking  to  have  it  opened.  He  never  mistook 
the  position  of  the  door,  and  if  knocking  had 
not  the  desired  effect,  he  took  hold  of  a  wire 
and  shook  and  rattled  it  till  he  was  attended  to. 

It  was  interesting  to  see  how  familiar  he  sud- 
denly became,  when  no  effort  had  been  made 
to  induce  him  to  be  so.  I  never  had  so  much 
trouble  to  win  the  confidence  of  a  bird,  but 
when  won,  the  surrender  was  complete.  He 
came  up  to  me  freely  and  allowed  me  to  catch 
him  in  my  hand  without  resistance,  which  is 
very  uncommon.  (Perhaps  I  ought  to  say  that 
I  do  not  try  to  tame  my  birds.)  He  displayed 
a  child-like,  confiding  disposition,  both  in  his 
unreasoning  terror  at  first,  and  his  unquestion- 
ing faith  at  last. 

These  investigations  were  conducted  without 
a  sound,  for  the  bird  was  entirely  silent  while 
awake.  But  there  came  a  day  when  he  made 
a  curious  exhibition  of  his  ability.  It  was  the 
ninth  of  February,  and  the  goldfinch  was  call- 
ing, as  he  often  did.  The  woodpecker  sat  on 


A    QUEER  LITTLE  SONG.  125 

his  perch  with  wings  held  tightly  against  his 
sides,  "humped"  up  as  though  he  were  high- 
shouldered.  The  plumage  of  his  breast  was 
puffed  out  so  broadly  that  it  came  over  the 
wings,  and  in  a  front  view  completely  hid  them, 
while  the  feathers  of  his  shoulders  were  erected 
till  he  resembled  a  lady  with  a  fur  shoulder 
cape.  Withal,  his  head  was  drawn  down  to 
his  body,  and  his  beak  pointed  upward  at  an 
angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  In  this  peculiar 
and  absurd  position  he  began  a  strange  little 
song,  ludicrously  weak  and  low  for  a  bird  of 
his  size.  The  tones  were  delivered  in  a  sharp 
staccato  style,  like  "  picking  "  the  strings  of  a 
violin  very  softly,  several  notes  uttered  with 
queer  side  wise  jerks  of  the  head,  and  eyes  ap- 
parently fixed  on  the  gold-finch.  After  a 
phrase  or  two  he  scraped  his  bill  violently  and 
then  began  again. 

This  performance  he  varied  by  bowing  his 
head  many  times,  swaying  his  whole  body  from 
side  to  side,  flirting  his  tail  and  shaking  his 
wings.  It  was  an  extraordinary  display,  but 
whether  his  manner  of  making  himself  agree- 
able, or  of  expressing  contempt,  I  could  only 
guess.  The  goldfinch  looked  on  with  interest, 
though  I  think  he  understood  it  no  better  than 
I  did;  he  seemed  surprised,  but  rather  pleased, 
for  he  repeated  his  calls,  and  the  Golden-wing 
kept  up  the  strange  exhibition  for  some  time. 


126  A   GOLDEN-WING  BABY. 

I  became  greatly  attached  to  my  beautiful 
bird,  which  appeared,  in  the  presence  of  his 
wise  and  wary  room-mates,  cat-birds  and 
thrushes,  like  a  big,  clumsy,  but  affectionate 
baby.  It  was  solely  on  his  account  and  prin- 
cipally, I  must  confess,  to  try  and  surprise  a 
wild  bird  at  the  above  described  entertainment 
so  as  to  determine  its  character,  that  I  wished 
to  make  acquaintance  with  its  free  relations, 
study  their  ways  when  at  liberty  in  their  own 
haunts,  and  have  a  glimpse  if  possible  of  the 
Golden-wing  babies. 

A  year  later  I  had  the  opportunity  I  so  much 
desired  of  making  acquaintance  with  the  young 
of  this  family.  I  was  sitting  one  morning  on 
the  edge  of  a  deep  ravine  filled  with  trees, 
deeply  engaged  in  the  study  of  another  bird, 
when  suddenly  a  stranger  came  with  an  awk- 
ward flop  against  the  trunk  of  a  tree  not  ten 
feet  from  me.  I  saw  in  an  instant  that  it  was 
the  infant  I  had  looked  for  so  long.  He  was 
exactly  like  the  parents,  with  a  somewhat 
shorter  tail.  I  should  hardly  have  suspected 
his  youthfulness  but  for  his  clumsy  movements, 
and  the  fact  that  he  did  not  at  once  take  flight, 
which  a  Golden-wing  more  experienced  in  the 
ways  of  human-kind  would  have  done  instantly. 
He  seemed  somewhat  exhausted  by  his  flight, 
and  clung  to  the  trunk,  with  soft  dark  eyes 
iixed  upon  me,  ready  to  move  if  I  did. 


TAKING  A  NAP.  127 

I  did  not ;  I  sat  motionless  for  half  an  hour 
and  watched  him.  When  somewhat  rested  he 
dodged  around  the  other  side  of  the  trunk,  and 
peeped  at  me  through  a  fork  in  the  branches. 
Then  he  scrambled  upon  a  small  branch,  where 
he  perched  crosswise.  But  he  had  trouble  to 
keep  his  balance  in  that  position,  so  he  climbed 
about  till  he  found  a  limb  fully  two  inches  in 
diameter,  on  which  he  could  rest  in  the  favorite 
flicker  attitude  —  lengthwise.  Then  with  his 
head  outward  to  the  world  at  large,  and  his 
tail  turned  indifferently  toward  me,  —  whom  he 
doubtless  regarded  as  a  permanent  and  lifeless 
feature  of  the  landscape,  —  he  settled  himself, 
crouched  flat  against  the  bark,  for  a  comfortable 
nap. 

All  this  time  I  had  been  conscious  of  low 
Golden-wing  talk  about  me  ;  the  familiar  "  wick- 
up !  wick-up  !  "  almost  in  a  whisper,  a  softened 
u  pe-auk !  "  from  the  ravine,  and  the  more  dis- 
tant "  laugh,"  so  called.  The  infant  on  the 
tree  heard  too.  He  moved  his  head,  listened 
and  looked,  but  whether  or  not  they  were  words 
of  caution  and  advice  from  the  wiser  ones  of 
his  race,  he  refused  to  be  frightened  and  did  not 
move  till  I  rose  to  leave  him,  when,  greatly 
startled,  he  took  flight  across  the  ravine. 


A  STORMY  WOOING. 


Not  an  inch  of  his  body  is  free  from  delight, 

Can  he  keep  himself  still  if  he  would  ?     Oh,  not  he  ! 

The  music  stirs  in  him  like  wind  through  a  tree. 

WORDSWORTH. 


VII. 
A  STORMY  WOOING. 


IF,  as  Ruskin  says,  "  the  bird  is  little  more 
than  a  drift  of  the  air,  brought  into  form  by 
plumes,"  the  particular  bit  shaped  into  the 
form  we  call  the  orchard  oriole  must  be  a  breath 
from  a  Western  tornado,  for  a  more  hot-headed, 
blustering  individual  would  be  hard  to  find ; 
and  when  this  embodied  hurricane,  this  "  drift " 
of  an  all-destroying  tempest,  goes  a-wooing, 
strange  indeed  are  the  ways  he  takes  to  win 
his  mate,  and  stranger  still  the  fact  that  he  does 
win  her  in  spite  of  his  violence. 

In  a  certain  neighborhood,  where  I  spent 
some  time  in  the  nesting  season,  studying  a 
bird  of  vastly  different  character,  orchard  ori- 
oles were  numerous,  and  in  their  usual  fashion 
made  their  presence  known  by  persistent  sing- 
ing around  the  house.  For  it  must  be  admitted, 
whatever  their  defects  of  temper  or  manners, 
that  they  are  most  cheerful  in  song,  the  female  no 
less  than  the  male.  First  of  the  early  morning 
bird  chorus  comes  their  song,  loud,  rich,  and  oft- 


132  NOT  TO  BE   OVERLOOKED. 

repeated,  though  marred  in  the  case  of  the  male 
by  the  constant  interpolation  of  harsh,  scolding 
notes.  Anywhere,  everywhere,  all  day,  in  pour- 
ing rain,  in  high  wind  that  silences  nearly  every 
bird  voice,  the  orioles  sing.  One  could  not 
overlook  them  if  he  wished,  so  noisy,  so  restless, 
and  so  musical.  Nor  do  they  care  to  be  un- 
seen ;  they  make  no  attempt  at  concealment. 
No  oriole  ever  steals  into  a  neighborhood  in  the 
quiet  way  of  the  cat-bird,  silently  taking  an  ob- 
servation of  its  inhabitants  before  making  him- 
self obvious ;  on  the  contrary,  all  his  deeds  are 
before  the  public,  even  his  family  quarrels.  He 
comes  to  a  tree  with  a  bustle,  talking,  scolding, 
making  himself  and  his  affairs  the  most  con- 
spicuous things  in  the  neighborhood. 

Many  times  he  is  most  annoying.  When 
following  some  shy  bird  to  its  nest,  or  moving 
down  toward  the  grove  where  are  the  brooklet 
and  the  birds'  bathing-place,  no  matter  how 
quietly  one  may  approach,  footsteps  deadened 
by  thick  sand  and  no  rustling  garments  to  be- 
tray, the  orchard  oriole  is  sure  to  know  it.  He 
is  not  the  only  bird  to  see  a  stranger,  of  course  ; 
the  brown  thrush  is  as  quick  as  he,  but  he 
silently  drops  to  the  ground,  if  not  already 
there,  and  disappears  without  a  sound  ;  the  car- 
dinal grosbeak  slips  down  from  his  perch  on  the 
farther  side  and  takes  wing  near  the  ground ; 


HE  SHOUTS    THE  NEWS.  133 

the  cat-bird,  in  the  center  of  a  thick  shrub, 
noiseless  as  a  shadow,  flutters  across  the  path 
and  is  gone ;  others  do  the  same.  The  orchard 
oriole  alone  shouts  the  news  to  all  whom  it  may 
concern  in  his  loudest  "  chack !  chack ! "  put- 
ting every  one  on  his  guard  at  once,  and  mak- 
ing the  copse  in  a  moment  as  empty  as  though 
no  wing  ever  stirred  its  leaves. 

On  first  noticing  the  ways  of  the  birds  about 
me  on  the  occasion  mentioned,  I  saw  that  there 
was  some  sort  of  a  disturbance  among  them  ; 
scarcely  ten  minutes  passed  without  a  commo- 
tion, followed  by  a  chase  through  the  branches 
of  a  tree,  one  bird  pursuing  another  so  hotly 
that  twigs  bent  and  leaves  parted  as  they  passed, 
the  one  in  advance  often  uttering  a  complaining 
cry,  and  the  pursuer,  a  loud,  harsh  scold.  Some- 
thing exciting  was  evidently  going  on;  some 
tragedy  or  possibly  comedy,  in  this  extremely 
sensational  family.  I  was  at  once  interested  to 
see  what  it  might  be  and  how  it  would  end ; 
and  in  fact,  before  I  knew  it,  I  was  as  much 
absorbed  in  oriole  matters  as  though  no  other 
feathered  life  was  to  be  seen. 

There  were  in  the  party  two  males,  one  in 
his  second  year,  and  therefore  immature  in  col- 
oring, being  olive-yellow  on  the  breast,  brown 
on  wings  and  tail,  with  a  black  mask  over  eyes 
and  chin ;  the  other  was  older,  and  a  model 


134    "WOULDN'T    TAKE  NO,  FOR  AN  ANSWER." 

of  oriole  beauty,  being  bright  chestnut  on  the 
lower  parts,  with  velvety  black  hood  coming 
down  on  the  breast.  With  them  was  one  female, 
and  though  far  from  being  friends,  the  three 
were  never  separated.  The  trouble  seemed  to  be 
that  both  males  were  suitors,  and  notwithstand- 
ing the  pretty  little  maid  appeared  to  have  a 
mind  of  her  own  and  to  prefer  the  younger  of 
her  wooers,  the  older  plainly  refused  "  to  take 
no  for  an  answer,"  and  was  determined  to  have 
his  own  way,  bringing  to  bear  on  his  courtship 
all  the  persistence  of  his  race.  In  that  particu- 
lar quality  of  never  giving  up  what  he  has  set 
his  heart  on,  the  oriole  cannot  be  excelled,  if 
indeed  he  can  be  equaled  in  the  bird  world ; 
for  a  time,  and  a  long  time,  too,  he  is  a  bird  of 
one  idea,  and  by  fair  means  or  foul  he  will  al- 
most certainly  accomplish  his  desire,  whatever 
it  may  be. 

Life  never  grew  dull  in  the  party  mentioned  ; 
they  were  always  talking,  singing,  or  going  for 
each  other  in  the  mad  way  already  described. 
Sometimes  the  chase  was  between  the  males, 
but  oftener  the  female  flew  for  her  life  appar- 
ently, while  the  rough  wooer  followed  closely 
with  great  noise  and  confusion.  The  affair 
ended  occasionally  with  a  cry  of  distress  as 
though  somebody  was  pecked,  but  several  times 
she  stood  at  bay  and  defied  him  with  mouth 


TOO  MANY  WOOERS.  135 

open,  feathers  bristled  up,  wings  fluttering,  and 
every  way  quite  ready  to  defend  herself.  Like 
other  blusterers,  on  the  first  show  of  fight  he 
calmed  down,  and  the  matter  ended  for  the  time. 
Peace 'lasted  from  ten  to  twenty  minutes,  dur- 
ing which  they  hopped  about  the  tree,  or  hung 
head-downward  on  the  Spanish  moss,  talking 
in  low  tones,  though  the  male  never  omitted 
delivering  a  scolding  note  with  every  two  or 
three  pleasant  ones.  Her  voice  was  charming, 
in  a  tender  call,  a  gentle  chatter,  or  a  sweet 
song,  unspoiled  by  the  harsh  tones  of  her  part- 
ner. She  was  also  a  very  pretty  bird,  bright 
yellow  below,  olive-yellow  on  the  back,  no 
black  about  the  face,  and  legs  and  feet  blue  as 
the  sky,  and  she  was  as  graceful  as  she  was 
beautiful. 

Repose  of  manner  was  unknown  to  the  or- 
chard orioles.  One  was  scarcely  ever  seen 
sitting  or  standing  still.  The  song  was  given 
while  moving,  either  flying  or  hopping  about 
on  the  tree.  If  one  did  pause  while  it  was  ut- 
tered, the  body  jerked,  and  the  head  turned 
this  way  and  that,  as  though  he  really  was  too 
restless  to  be  perfectly  quiet  for  a  moment. 

The  most  tempestuous  times  were  when  the 
younger  suitor  put  himself  forward  and  per- 
suaded the  fair  yellow  damsel  to  show  him  some 
slight  preference.  The  venerable  lover  was  not 


136  A   WAR  DANCE. 

slow  to  resent  this,  and  to  fall  like  a  hurricane 
upon  the  pretender,  who  disappeared  like  a 
dead  leaf  before  the  blast,  and  so  quickly  that 
he  could  not  be  followed  —  at  least  by  anything 
less  rapid  than  wings.  Once,  however,  I  saw 
a  curious  affair  between  the  two  suitors  which 
was  plainly  a  war-dance.  It  followed  closely 
upon  one  of  the  usual  flurries,  conducted  with 
perhaps  louder  cries  and  more  vehemence  than 
common,  and  began  by  both  birds  alighting  on 
the  grass  about  a  foot  apart,  and  so  absorbed 
in  each  other  as  to  be  utterly  oblivious  of  a 
spectator  within  ten  feet  of  them  on  the  bal- 
cony. No  tiger  out  of  the  jungle  could  hold 
more  rage  and  fury  than  animated  those  feath- 
ered atoms,  bristled  up  even  to  the  heads, 
which  looked  as  if  covered  with  velvet  caps. 
They  paused  an  instant,  then  crouched,  jerked 
their  tails,  "  teetered "  and  posed  in  several 
attitudes,  ending  each  new  movement  with  a 
solemn  bow,  perhaps  equivalent  to  a  hand- 
shake among  larger  fighters.  What  one  did 
the  other  exactly  copied,  and  both  seemed  to 
be  trying  to  get  one  side  of  the  opponent,  so  as 
to  secure  some  advantage.  To  prevent  this, 
each  kept  his  face  to  the  foe,  and  moved  as  he 
moved.  Thus  they  passed  down  one  side,  then 
back,  down  the  other  and  return,  neither  able  to 
get  the  slightest  superiority  of  position.  It  was 


VULGAR  BROILS.  137 

extremely  grotesque,  and  was  continued  several 
minutes,  while  I  eagerly  watched  to  see  what 
would  happen  next.  What  did  happen  was 
entirely  unexpected,  a  unique  anti-climax,  quite 
worthy  of  the  undignified  character  of  the  bird. 
On  a  sudden,  as  by  one  consent,  both  flew  oppo- 
site ways;  both  alighted  in  low  trees  about 
thirty  feet  apart,  and  each  one  sang  a  loud  joy- 
ous song,  as  of  victory  ! 

In  this  turbulent  way  life  went  on  for  two 
or  three  weeks ;  I  could  not  tell  how  long,  for  it 
was  in  full  progress  when  I  came.  There  was 
always  a  vulgar  broil,  often  a  furious  encounter, 
stopping  just  short  of  coming  to  blows,  and  it 
seemed  really  doubtful  if  the  orioles  would  suc- 
ceed in  settling  their  matrimonial  affairs  before 
summer.  The  third  member  of  the  belligerent 
party,  the  demure  little  object  of  all  this  agita- 
tion, was  meekness  and  gentleness  itself,  never 
aggressive,  but  always  flying  before  the  furious 
onslaught  of  her  would-be  spouse.  Why  then 
did  she  not  select  her  mate  and  thus  end  the 
trouble,  which,  according  to  the  books,  it  must 
do? 

Turning  away  from  the  more  conspicuous 
males  with  their  endless  contests,  and  watching 
her  closely,  I  saw  that  she  was  trying  her  best 
to  do  so.  She  plainly  preferred  the  younger 
and  less  quarrelsome  suitor,  and  often  followed 


138  A  FEATHERED  PAUL  PRY. 

him  off,  bringing  down  upon  herself  in  conse- 
quence the  wrath  of  the  elder,  and  instant  pur- 
suit, which  ended  in  the  disappearance  of  her 
chosen  hero,  and  a  forced  endurance  of  the 
tyrant's  presence,  till  it  appeared  that  she 
would  have  to  "  marry  him  to  get  rid  of  him," 
as  our  plain-spoken  grandmothers  characterized 
a  similar  situation  in  human  affairs. 

When  these  birds  could  spare  time  from  their 
own  absorbing  matters,  they  were  very  inquisi- 
tive in  the  affairs  of  their  neighbors.  After 
the  mocking-bird  babies  were  out,  the  orioles 
often  visited  them,  while  the  parents  were 
absent,  for  no  reason  that  I  could  discover  but 
to  see  what  they  were  like,  and  how  they  got 
on,  for  nothing  about  them  was  disturbed.  If, 
however,  an  oriole  was  found  by  one  of  the  old 
mocking-birds  perched  on  the  edge  of  the  nest, 
he  was  driven  away  with  a  piece  of  mocking- 
bird mind  on  the  subject  of  meddlers.  Like- 
wise they  frequently  paid  visits  to  a  nuthatch 
colony  at  the  top  of  a  tall  pine-tree.  Whether 
more  aggressive  among  these  smaller  birds,  or 
not,  could  not  be  seen.  But  the  facts  were 
that  upon  an  oriole's  disappearing  through  those 
heavy  pine  branches  away  above  our  heads, 
there  instantly  arose  a  great  outcry  in  the 
querulous  nuthatch  voice,  and  the  intruder  re- 
turned to  the  lower  world  with  some  precipi 


THE   CRISIS  CAME.  139 

tation,  while  gentle,  complaining  sounds  came 
from  the  invaded  territory  for  some  time.  So, 
too,  in  different  degree  the  birds  showed  interest 
in  me,  peering  down  between  the  leaves  of  the 
tree  in  which  they  spent  most  of  their  time, 
and  making  remarks  or  expressing  opinions, 
climbing — which  they  literally  did  —  to  the 
end  of  a  twig,  stretching  up  tall  to  look  over 
the  top  and  stare  at  me,  or  when  flying  slowly 
past,  hovering  a  moment  just  in  front  of  me 
with  perfect  fearlessness  and  earnest  attention 
to  my  pursuits. 

At  length  the  crisis  in  the  oriole  matters 
came,  as  come  it  must,  and  not  long  after  the 
war-dance  that  has  been  described.  The  season 
was  advanced  and  nesting  time  already  begun. 
In  fact,  it  was  ended  in  several  families  ;  mock- 
ing-birds were  about  ready  to  fly,  young  chip- 
ping sparrows  peeped  from  every  tuft  of  grass, 
baby  bluebirds  were  trying  their  wings  at  their 
doors,  the  yellow-throated  warbler  was  stuffing 
her  youngsters  on  the  next  tree,  and  the  late 
kingbirds  had  nearly  finished  their  nests. 
Whether  a  pitched  battle  at  last  settled  the 
dispute,  whether  the  modest  little  dame  united 
with  her  chosen  mate  against  the  common 
enemy,  or  whether  perchance  —  though  this  is 
not  likely  —  the  elder  bird  tired  of  his  useless 
warfare,  will  never  be  known,  for  the  whole 


140  THE  BRIDE    WON. 

matter  was  settled  before  we  mortals  were  out 
of  bed,  in  the  magic  morning  hours  when  so 
many  interesting  things  go  on  in  bird  and  beast 
life.  When  I  came  out,  I  saw  at  once  that  a 
decision  had  been  reached.  The  younger  bird 
had  won  his  bride,  and  with  much  talk  and 
love-making  the  happy  pair  were  busying  them- 
selves about  a  building  spot.  This  first  day  of 
their  honeymoon  was  not,  however,  very  peace- 
ful ;  old  troubles  are  not  so  soon  forgotten,  and 
the  discarded  suitor  found  it  hard  to  believe 
that  the  repulse  was  final  and  he  really  should 
not  have  his  own  way.  He  frequently  made 
his  appearance  in  the  old  scenes,  making  him- 
self agreeable  in  the  usual  way  ;  but  the  newly 
wedded  were  now  a  pair,  and  when  both  flung 
themselves  upon  him  he  recognized  at  last  the 
inevitable,  no  longer  resented  it,  and  left  them 
in  peace. 

With  much  talk  and  discussion  the  tree  that 
had  been  the  scene  of  the  stormy  wooing  was 
selected  for  the  homestead,  and  the  young  wife 
at  once  set  to  work  upon  the  foundation,  while 
her  spouse  in  his  new  r61e  of  lord  and  master 
stood  on  a  higher  twig  and  gave  his  opinions ; 
much  advice,  no  doubt,  and  plenty  of  instruc- 
tion. I  doubt  his  mastery,  however,  for  I  no- 
ticed that,  though  meek,  madam  had  a  mind 
of  her  own  and  an  orchard  oriole's  persistence 


THEY  WERE   USED  TO  IT.  141 

in  carrying  out  her  plans.  He  talked,  it  is 
true,  blustered  and  strutted  around,  but  she 
worked  quietly,  steadily,  and  in  a  business-like 
way,  utterly  oblivious  of  him. 

During  this  day,  too,  even  this  first  day,  not 
five  hours  after  he  had  tried  to  coax  the  bride 
away,  the  elderly  suitor  came  back  from  some 
unknown  quarter,  with  a  brand-new  wife  of  his 
own  ;  precipitation  worthy  of  the  vulgar  house- 
sparrow  of  our  city  streets,  which  these  birds 
also  resemble  in  their  constant  broils.  That 
naturally  put  a  complete  end  to  further  dispute 
over  sweethearts  ;  but  they  could  not  change 
their  nature,  and  I  observed  that  each  young 
husband  had  a  vast  amount  of  fault  to  find, 
much  scolding  and  grumbling.  Happily  it  did 
not  seem  to  disconcert  the  little  wives  ;  they 
sang  as  sweetly,  and  worked  as  steadily  as 
though  they  were  used  to  it,  and  expected  noth- 
ing better,  which  was  well  for  them. 

The  elder  oriole  and  his  mate  soon  settled  in 
another  place,  and  I  saw  them  no  more,  but  I 
was  sorry  to  see  upon  what  tree  the  young  pair 
decided  to  build,  for  a  kingbird  had  an  unfin- 
ished nest  in  one  of  the  lower  branches,  and 
two  families  so  aggressive  would  make  a  lively 
neighborhood  no  doubt.  Hostilities  began  in- 
deed on  the  first  day.  Watching  the  oriole  at 
her  building,  I  caught  the  pretty  innocent-look- 


142  A  BIRD   THIEF. 

ing  creature  stealing  material  from  the  king- 
bird's nest,  while  her  virtuous  spouse  perched 
himself  on  the  upper  branch  of  the  tree,  exactly 
as  if  on  the  watch  for  returning  owners.  In  a 
low  tone  he  talked  to  her  as  she  entered  the  un- 
completed nest,  worked  busily  a  moment,  then 
appeared  on  the  edge  with  a  soft  white  feather, 
gathered  it  into  a  convenient  shape,  and  flew 
with  it  in  her  beak  to  the  upper  branch.  Twice 
afterward  I  saw  that  performance  repeated,  and 
each  time  it  was  a  white  feather  taken.  On  one 
occasion  the  kingbird  was  at  home.  There  was 
a  sharp  cry  of  distress,  a  bustle,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment Madam  Oriole  flew  off  with  a  feather, 
while  the  outraged  owner  stood  on  a  neighbor- 
ing branch  and  uttered  two  or  three  plaintive 
cries.  Considering  the  size  and  the  belligerent 
nature  of  the  kingbird,  I  was  astonished,  but 
exactly  thus  it  happened. 

I  greatly  wished  to  stay  and  see  the  result, 
for  I  had  confidence  enough  in  the  bravery  of 
the  kingbirds  to  be  sure  that  the  end  was  not 
yet.  Also,  I  longed  to  watch  the  restless  pair 
whose  ups  and  downs  I  had  found  so  interesting. 
I  should  like  to  see  the  orchard  oriole  in  the 
role  of  a  father ;  a  terribly  fussy  one  he  would 
be  without  doubt.  Above  all,  I  most  desired 
to  see  the  infant  orioles,  to  know  if  they  begin 
their  quarrels  in  their  narrow  cradle,  and  if 


A   QUARREL   ON  HAND.  143 

their  first  note  is  a  scold.  But  the  troubles  of 
this  courtship  had,  like  the  wars  of  Augustus 
and  Arabella  in  a  three-volume  novel,  consumed 
so  much  time  that  there  was  none  left  for  post- 
nuptial chronicles,  and  I  was  obliged  to  leave 
them  with  a  neighborhood  quarrel  on  hand 
which  promised  full  employment  for  the  head 
of  the  family  while  his  little  mate  was  sitting. 


FLUTTERBUDGET. 


O  hark  to  the  brown  thrush  !  hear  how  he  sings! 

Now  he  pours  the  dear  pain  of  his  gladness  ! 
What  a  gush  !  and  from  out  what  golden  springs ! 

What  a  rage  of  how  sweet  madness ! 

D.  A.  WASSON. 


vin. 

FLUTTERBUDGET. 


"  FLUTTERBUDGET  "  is  the  one  expressive 
word  that  exactly  characterizes  a  certain  brown 
thrush,  or  thrasher,  the  subject  of  a  year's 
study.  This  bird  is  perhaps  the  only  restless 
creature  that  bears  the  name  of  thrush,  and  he 
is  totally  unlike  the  rest  of  his  family,  having 
neither  dignity,  composure,  nor  repose  of  man- 
ner. My  brown  thrush,  however,  was  exceed- 
ingly interesting  in  his  own  way,  if  only  as  a 
study  of  perpetual  motion,  of  the  varieties  of 
shape  and  attitude  possible  to  him,  and  the  fan- 
tastic tricks  upon  wing  of  which  he  was  capa- 
ble. One  never  tired  of  watching  him,  for  he 
was  erratic  in  every  movement,  always  invent- 
ing some  new  sort  of  evolution,  or  a  fresh  way 
of  doing  the  old  things,  and  scarcely  a  moment 
at  rest.  A  favorite  exercise  was  flying  across 
the  room,  planting  his  feet  flatly  against  the 
side  wall,  turning  instantly  and  flying  back. 
This  he  often  did  a  dozen  times  in  succession. 


148  STRANGE   USE  OF  THE  FJ^ET. 

His  feet  were  always  "  used  to  save  his  head  " 
(contrary  to  our  grandmothers'  teachings). 
When  he  made  the  usual  attempt  to  fly  through 
the  window  on  his  first  outing  in  the  room,  he 
went  feet  first  against  it,  and  thus  saved  him- 
self a  bumped  head.  His  movements  were  ab- 
rupt in  the  extreme,  and  always  so  unexpected 
that  he  frequently  threw  the  whole  feathered 
family  into  a  panic,  apparently  without  the 
least  intention  of  doing  so.  Standing  beside  the 
cage  of  another  bird,  he  would  wheel  quickly 
and  face  the  other  way,  absolutely  nothing 
more,  but  doing  this  in  a  manner  so  startling 
that  the  occupant  of  the  cage  scolded  roundly. 
He  specially  delighted  in  clambering  all  over 
the  cage  of  a  goldfinch,  acting  as  if  he  should 
tear  it  in  pieces,  and  greatly  annoying  the  small 
bird.  He  often  flew  up  the  side  of  the  window 
casing,  as  though  climbing  it  like  a  ladder,  his 
feet  touching  it  now  and  then ;  and  he  did  the 
same  on  the  curtains  of  coarse  net.  Again  he 
flew  across  the  room  before  the  three  windows, 
turning  to  each  one  in  turn,  planted  his  feet 
squarely  on  the  linen  shade,  as  on  the  wall 
above  mentioned,  and  without  a  pause  passed 
to  the  end  of  the  room,  and  touched  it  with  his 
feet  in  the  same  strange  way.  Often  when 
standing  for  the  moment  perfectly  still  before 
a  window,  he  suddenly  flew  up,  put  both  feet  in 


QUEER   WAYS.  149 

this  unbirdlike  way  against  the  window-shade, 
turned  and  went  to  his  cage.  In  like  manner 
he  came  in  contact  with  a  cage,  the  books  on  the 
shelves,  the  back  of  a  chair,  or  any  piece  of  fur- 
niture, taking  from  that  point  a  new  direction. 
When  startled  he  instantly  bounded  into  the  air 
as  though  the  ground  were  hot  under  his  feet, 
and  often  turned  a  corner  or  two  before  he  came 
down.  In  the  middle  of  his  most  lovely  song  he 
was  quite  likely,  without  the  least  warning,  to 
make  a  mad  dash  somewhere,  turn  a  sharp  cor- 
ner, dive  in  another  direction,  and  alight  on  the 
spot  he  had  left  a  moment  before,  and  all  in 
so  spasmodic  a  way  that  every  bird  was  panic- 
stricken. 

The  thrasher  was  exceedingly  wary,  and 
nothing  was  droller  than  his  manner  of  ap- 
proaching anything,  whether  a  worm  I  had 
thrown  on  the  matting  for  him,  or  the  bathing- 
dish.  In  the  case  of  the  worm,  the  moment  he 
saw  his  prey  —  which  I  selected  for  its  liveli- 
ness—  he  came  to  a  nearer  perch,  and  stood 
there  a  few  minutes,  posturing,  shaking  his 
plumage  in  great  excitement,  looking  at  me  and 
then  at  the  tempting  object.  Very  soon  he 
dropped  to  the  floor  and  started  towards  the 
worm  in  the  funniest  way  ;  running  a  few  steps, 
stopping  short  and  turning  half  round,  ready 
for  instant  flight,  flirting  his  feathers  with  a 


150  SENSATIONAL  MANNERS. 

great  rustle,  turning  an  anxious  eye  on  me,  then 
on  the  wriggling  attraction,  running  a  step  or 
two,  and  repeating  the  performance.  In  this 
way  he  advanced  very  gradually  till  near 
enough  to  half  encircle  his  prey ;  or  to  run  and 
hop  sideways  as  though  to  describe  a  circle, 
turning  away  at  each  pause  as  before,  all  the 
time  jerking  and  fluttering  in  intense  agitation, 
and  always  keeping  an  eye  on  me.  Not  that 
he  was  in  the  least  afraid  of  me  ;  it  was  simply 
his  sensational  way  of  doing  everything.  When 
he  finally  came  within  reach  of  the  worm,  he 
snatched  it,  and  ran  as  though  the  enemy  were 
upon  him. 

His  performances  before  entering  the  bath 
were  even  more  amusing.  The  bathing-dish,  a 
broad,  deep  plate,  stood  upon  a  towel  on  a  ta- 
ble. The  bird  alighted  on  the  table,  and  began 
first  to  peck  the  towel,  pulling  the  fringe,  work- 
ing at  any  loose  thread  he  discovered,  and  in- 
dustriously enlarging  any  small  hole  he  chanced 
to  find.  In  doing  thus  he  often  turned  over  the 
edge,  when  he  sprang  back  as  though  he  had 
seen  a  ghost.  Recovering  from  the  shock,  he 
circled  around  the  dish  with  little  hops,  occa- 
sionally giving  a  gentle  peck  at  the  edge  of  the 
dish,  or  a  snip  at  the  water  with  his  beak.  Thus 
he  waltzed  around  the  bath  perhaps  forty  times, 
now  and  then  going  so  far  as  to  jump  up  on  the 


EXCITEMENT  OF  THE  BATH.  151 

edge,  make  a  dash  at  the  water,  and  back  off 
as  if  it  were  hot,  or  to  give  a  hop  into  the  mid- 
dle of  the  water  and  out  again  so  quickly  that 
one  could  hardly  believe  he  touched  it.  When, 
after  all  this  ceremony,  he  did  go  in  to  stay,  he 
made  most  thorough  work,  splashing  in  a  fran- 
tic way,  as  though  he  had  but  a  moment  to 
stay,  and  in  one  minute  getting  more  soaked 
than  many  birds  ever  do.  After  this  short  dip 
he  dashed  out,  flew  to  a  perch,  and  in  the  mad- 
dest way  jerked  and  shook  himself  dry  ;  pulling 
his  feathers  through  his  beak  with  a  snap,  and 
making  a  peculiar  sound  which  I  can  liken  only 
to  the  rubbing  of  machinery  that  needs  oil. 

The  brown  thrush  was  never  so  violent  and 
eccentric  in  movement  as  just  after  his  bath. 
Allowing  himself  often  but  a  moment's  hasty 
shake  of  plumage,  he  darted  furiously  across 
the  room,  startling  every  bird,  and  alighting  no 
one  could  guess  where.  Then,  after  more  jerks 
and  rapid  shakings,  he  flung  himself  as  unex- 
pectedly in  another  direction,  while  at  every 
fresh  turn  birds  scattered  wildly,  everywhere, 
anywhere,  out  of  his  way,  bringing  up  in  the 
most  unaccustomed  places  ;  as,  for  instance,  a 
dignified  bird,  who  never  went  to  the  floor, 
coming  to  rest  under  the  bed,  or  a  ground-lover 
flattened  against  the  side  of  a  cage.  All  this 
disturbance  seemed  to  please  the  thrasher,  for 


152  FULL  OF  PRANKS. 

he  had  a  spice  of  mischief  in  his  composition. 
A  never  failing  diversion  was  teasing  a  gold- 
finch. He  began  his  pranks  by  entering  the 
cage  and  hammering  on  the  tray,  or  digging 
into  the  seed  in  a  savage  way  that  sent  it  fly- 
ing out  in  a  shower,  which  result  so  entertained 
him  that  I  was  forced  to  close  the  door  when 
the  owner  was  out.  This  the  thrush  resented, 
and  he  next  took  to  jumping  against  the  side 
of  the  cage,  clinging  a  moment,  then  bouncing 
off  with  so  much  force  that  the  cage  rocked 
violently.  Then  he  placed  himself  on  the 
perch  by  the  door,  and  pounded,  and  pulled, 
and  jerked,  and  shook  the  door,  till,  if  the 
owner  were  home,  he  was  nearly  wild.  Hav- 
ing exhausted  that  amusement,  he  jumped  on 
the  top  and  in  some  way  jarred  the  cage 
roughly.  To  protect  it  I  made  a  cover  of  paper, 
but,  contrary  to  my  intentions,  this  afforded  the 
rogue  a  new  pleasure,  for  he  soon  found  that 
by  tramping  over  it  he  could  make  a  great 
noise,  and  he  quickly  learned  the  trick  of  tear- 
ing the  paper  into  pieces,  and  uncovering  the 
little  fellow,  who,  by  the  way,  was  not  in  the 
least  afraid,  but  simply  enraged  and  insulted, 
and  when  outside  stood  and  faced  his  tormentor, 
blustering  and  scolding  him  well. 

Tearing   paper  was  always  amusing  to  the 
brown  thrush.     I  have  seen  him  take  his  stand 


TEARING   TEE    WALL  PAPER.  153 

near  the  wall,  peck  at  the  paper  till  he  found 
a  weak  spot  where  it  would  yield  and  break, 
then  take  the  torn  edge  in  his  bill  and  deliber- 
ately tear  it  a  little.  It  was  "  snatching  a  fear- 
ful joy,"  however,  for  the  noise  always  startled 
him.  First  came  a  little  tear,  then  a  leap  one 
side,  another  small  rent,  another  panic ;  and  so 
he  went  on  till  he  had  torn  off  a  large  piece 
which  dropped  to  the  floor,  while  I  sat  too  much 
interested  in  the  performance  to  think  of  sav- 
ing the  paper.  (The  room  and  its  contents  are 
always  secondary  to  the  birds'  comfort  and 
pleasure,  in  my  thoughts.)  A  newspaper  on 
the  floor  furnished  him  amusement  for  hours, 
picking  it  to  pieces,  tearing  pictures,  from 
which  he  always  first  pecked  the  faces,  dragging 
the  whole  about  the  floor  to  hear  it  rattle  and 
to  scare  himself  with.  A  pile  of  magazines 
on  a  table  made  a  regular  playground  for  him, 
his  plan  being  to  push  and  pull  at  the  back  of 
one  till  he  got  it  loose  from  the  rest,  and  then 
work  at  it  till  it  fell  to  the  floor.  He  never 
failed  to  reduce  the  pile  to  a  disreputable-look- 
ing muss. 

The  bird  was  as  fond  of  hammering  as  any 
woodpecker,  on  the  bottom  of  his  cage,  011 
perches,  on  the  floor,  even  on  his  food ;  and  his 
leaps  or  bounds  without  the  apparent  help  of 
his  wings  were  extraordinary.  Not  infrequently 


154  EXPRESSION  OF    WINGS. 

I  have  seen  him  spring  into  the  air  just  high 
enough  to  see  me  over  my  desk,  —  three  feet  at 
least,  —  probably  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  my 
whereabouts,  and  drop  instantly  back  to  his 
work  or  play. 

This  amusing  bird  was  also  intelligent.  He 
understood  perfectly  well  what  I  wanted  when 
I  spoke  to  him  ;  that  is,  he  had  a  guilty  con- 
science when  in  mischief  that  translated  my 
tone  to  him.  Also  he  recognized  instantly  a 
bird  out  of  place,  as,  for  instance,  one  on  the 
floor  which  usually  frequented  the  perches  and 
higher  parts  of  the  room ;  and  having  taken 
upon  himself  the  office  of  regulator,  he  always 
went  after  the  bird  thus  out  of  his  accustomed 
beat.  When  I  talked  to  the  thrasher,  he 
answered  me  not  only  with  a  rough-breath  in  £ 
sound,  a  sort  of  prolonged  "  ha-a-a,"  but  with 
his  wings  as  well.  Of  course  this  is  not  un- 
common in  birds,  but  none  that  I  have  seen  use 
these  members  so  significantly  as  he  did.  His 
way  was  to  lift  the  wing  nearest  me,  sometimes 
very  slightly,  sometimes  to  a  perpendicular  posi- 
tion, but  only  one  wing,  and  only  after  I  made 
a  remark.  This  exhibition  was  curious  and 
interesting,  and  I  often  prolonged  my  talk  to 
see  the  variety  he  could  give  to  this  simple 
motion.  His  wings  were  always  expressive,  in 
alighting  in  a  new  place,  or  where  he  suspected 


A   WHISPER  SONG.  155 

there  might  be  danger  or  a  surprise ;  the  mo- 
ment his  feet  touched  he  lifted  one  or  both 
wings  quite  high,  dropping  them  at  once. 

A  more  lithe  body  than  that  of  the  brown 
thrush  I  have  never  seen  in  feathers ;  he  could 
assume  as  many  attitudes  as  he  had  emotions. 
He  often  stood  on  a  perch  and  postured  for  a 
long  time,  as  if  greatly  excited  and  meditating 
some  mad  deed,  and  I  must  confess  he  usually 
carried  out  the  intention.  Not  only  was  he 
able  to  put  his  body  into  all  possible  shapes,  but 
he  had  extraordinary  command  of  his  feathers. 
He  could  erect  them  on  -any  one  part  alone,  on 
the  top  of  the  head,  the  shoulders,  the  back, 
or  the  chin.  He  often  raised  the  feathers  just 
above  the  tail,  letting  that  member  hang 
straight  down,  giving  him  the  appearance  of 
being  chopped  square  off. 

The  song  of  this  bird  is  well  known  and 
quite  celebrated ;  indeed,  in  the  Southern 
States  he  is  called  the  French  mocking-bird,  as 
only  second  to  the  mocking-bird  proper.  My 
bird  never  sang  above  a  whisper,  one  may  say  ; 
that  is,  he  never  opened  his  mouth  to  let  out 
the  sound,  though  he  was  extremely  fond  of 
singing,  indulging  in  it  by  the  hour.  He  hardly 
paused  for  eating,  or  flying,  or  hopping  around 
on  the  floor,  but  dropped  sweet  notes  in  between 
the  mouthfuls,  and  kept  up  the  warble  through 
all  movements. 


156  IN  THE  TWILIGHT. 

As  dusk  came  on  the  brown  thrush  began  a 
wonderful  series  of  postures,  more  peculiar  and 
varied  than  one  would  suppose  possible  to  so 
large  and  apparently  clumsy  a  bird.  Some- 
times he  stretched  up  very  tall,  then  instantly 
crouched  as  if  about  to  spring ;  one  moment  he 
turned  his  head  downward  as  though  to  dive 
off,  then  wheeled  and  faced  the  other  way ; 
now  he  drew  his  body  out  long  to  a  point,  head 
and  tail  exactly  on  a  level,  then  head  and  tail 
thrust  up,  making  his  back  the  shape  of  a  bow ; 
at  one  time  he  threw  his  head  back  as  though 
about  to  turn  a  back  somersault,  then  scraped 
his  bill,  shook  himself  out,  and  made  the  harsh 
breathing  I  have  spoken  off ;  in  another  mo- 
ment he  spread  his  tail  like  a  fan,  and  instantly 
closed  it  again ;  then  turned  his  head  on  one 
side  very  far,  while  his  tail  hung  out  the  other 
side,  and  in  this  odd  position  jerked  himself 
along  by  short  jumps  the  whole  length  of  his 
perch.  Between  the  postures  and  on  every 
occasion  he  scraped  his  bill  violently.  Next 
began  movements  :  first  he  ran  down  his  three 
perches,  across  the  floor,  and  hopped  to  the 
upper  one  from  the  outside,  touching  his  feet 
to  the  wires  as  he  went,  so  rapidly  that  my 
eyes  could  not  follow  him  ;  then  he  alighted  on 
the  perch  with  a  graceful  flop  of  one  wing, 
sometimes  also  bowing  his  head  several  times, 


"/£  THAT  THE  WAY  YOU  EAT?"     157 

and  uttering  the  breathing  sound  each  time. 
Again  he  jumped  from  the  upper  perch  to  one 
directly  under  it,  and  returned  the  same  way 
by  a  very  peculiar  motion :  standing  on  the 
lower  perch,  he  turned  his  head  over  his 
shoulder,  and  sprang  back  and  up  at  the  same 
time,  landing  in  exactly  the  same  position  on 
the  perch  above,  with  perfect  ease  and  grace. 

Nothing  pleased  the  thrasher  more  than 
watching  other  birds ;  he  observed  them  closely, 
especially  liking  to  stand  on  top  of  a  cage  and 
see  the  life  below,  —  an  agitated  life  it  was 
apt  to  be  when  he  was  there.  Thus  he  some- 
times stood  on  the  goldfinch's  cage  and  noticed 
every  motion  with  great  interest,  yet  with  an 
indescribably  ironical  air,  as  if  he  said,  "My 
dear  sir,  is  that  the  way  you  eat  ? "  He 
showed  particular  interest  in  seed-eating  birds, 
apparently  not  understanding  how  they  could 
enjoy  such  food.  Though  full  of  bluster  and 
pretense,  he  was  as  gentle  as  any  bird  in  the 
room,  never  presumed  on  his  size  as  the  biggest, 
and,  though  liking  to  tease  and  worry,  never 
really  touching  one.  The  smallest  only  needed 
to  stand  and  face  him  to  see  that  it  was  all 
bluster  and  fun. 

All  this  until  spring  began  to  stir  his  blood 
and  tempt  him  occasionally,  after  long  postur- 
ing and  many  feints,  to  deliver  a  gentle  dig  at 


158      HE  SOON  SETTLED   THE  SPARROWS. 

a  neighbor's  ribs.  Now,  too,  he  began  to  show 
interest  in  out-of-doors,  standing  on  the  win- 
dow sash  and  looking  out,  which  is  a  familiar 
sign  that  a  bird's  time  to  depart  has  come.  In 
his  case  I  did  not  consider  it  necessary  to  carry 
him  to  the  park  to  liberate  him,  for  I  was  sure 
he  could  take  care  of  the  sparrows  and  protect 
himself  —  and  so  it  proved.  When  he  found 
himself  suddenly  on  a  tall  tree  in  the  street,  and 
before  he  recovered  from  his  surprise,  those  dis- 
reputable birds  gathered  around  him  to  see 
what  he  was  like.  They  soon  found  out ;  he 
quickly  recovered  himself,  made  a  wild  dash 
that  scattered  them  like  leaves  before  the  wind, 
and  then  planted  himself  on  a  branch  to  await 
another  attempt.  But  sparrows,  though  saucy, 
are  knowing,  and  not  one  came  near  him  again. 
They  had  quite  satisfied  their  curiosity,  and 
after  a  few  moments'  waiting  the  brown  thrush 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 


«  0  WONDROUS  SINGERS." 


In  the  swamp  in  secluded  recesses 

A  shy  and  hidden  bird  is  warbling  a  song. 

Sing  on  !  sing  on,  you  gray-brown  bird ! 
Sing  from  the  swamps,  the  recesses,  pour 
Your  chant  from  the  bushes  ; 

O  liquid  and  free  and  tender ! 

O  wild  and  loose  to  my  soul ! 

O  wondrous  singer ! 

WALT  WHITMAN. 


IX. 

"O  WONDROUS  SINGERS." 


I  FEEL  considerable  reluctance  in  approach- 
ing the  subject  of  my  small  thrushes.  None 
but  a  poet  should  speak  of  them  —  so  beautiful, 
so  enchanting  in  song.  Yet  I  cannot  bear  to 
let  their  lovely  lives  pass  in  silence ;  therefore 
if  they  must  needs  remain  unsung,  they  shall 
at  least  be  chronicled. 

There  were  two :  one  the  gray-cheeked  thrush, 
the  other  the  veery  or  Wilson's,  and  they 
passed  a  year  in  my  house,  filling  it  with  a 
marvelous  rippling  music  like  the  sweet  babble 
of  a  brook  over  stones  ;  like  the  gentle  sighing 
of  the  wind  in  pine-trees ;  like  other  of  nature's 
enchanting  sounds,  which  I  really  must  borrow 
a  poet's  words  to  characterize  : 

"  O  liquid  and  free  and  tender ! 
O  wild  and  loose  to  my  soul ! 
O  wondrous  singer." 

The  gray-cheeked,  most  charming  in  every 
look  and  motion,  uttered  his  notes  in  a  free 


162  "MY  WOODS  IN  SONG" 

sweep  or  crescendo,  which  began  low,  gathered 
force  as  he  went  on,  and  then  gradually  died  out ; 
all  in  one  long  slur,  without  a  defined  or  stac- 
cato note,  making  a  wonderful  resemblance  to 
wind  sounds,  as  Emerson  expresses  it : 
"  His  music  was  the  Southwind's  sigh." 

The  song  of  the  veery  was  quite  different, 
low,  rapid,  interspersed  with  a  louder,  wild- 
sounding  cry,  or,  as  aptly  described  by  a  lis- 
tener, like  the  gurgling  sounds  made  by  blow- 
ing through  a  tube  into  soft  water,  with  occa- 
sional little  explosions.  The  soft,  whispered 
warble  of  a  brown  thrush  added  a  certain  under- 
tone which  combined  and  harmonized  both 
these,  forming  with  them  a  rhapsody  of  a  rip- 
pling, bubbling  character  impossible  to  de- 
scribe, but  constantly  reminding  one  of  running 
streams,  and  gentle  water-falls,  and  coming 
nearer  to  "  put  my  woods  in  song  "  than  any 
other  bird-notes  whatever.  Neither  of  the  per- 
formers opened  his  mouth,  so  that  the  trio  was 
very  low,  a  true  whisper-song. 

It  was  somewhat  curious  that  with  one  ex- 
ception all  the  birds  in  the  room  through 
these  months  sang  whisper-songs  also,  without 
opening  the  bill.  There  were  six  of  them,  and 
every  one  delighted  in  singing;  the  three 
thrushes,  a  bluebird,  a  female  orchard  oriole, 
and  a  Mexican  clarin.  To  the  thrushes,  music 


A  BEWITCHING  DANCE.  163 

seemed  necessary  to  life  ;  hour  after  hour  they 
stood  on  their  respective  perches  across  the 
room,  puffed  out  into  balls,  "  pouring  out  their 
souls,"  and  entrancing  us  not  only  with  their 
suggestive  melody,  but  with  graceful  and  po- 
etical movements,  and  a  beauty  of  look  and 
bearing  that  moved  one  deeply.  During  the 
aria  both  birds  stood  motionless,  one  with  wings 
drooping,  and  accenting  every  note,  the  other 
with  tail  slightly  jerking  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. 

In  character  no  less  than  in  song  the  birds 
differed;  bright,  active  and  high-spirited,  the 
gray-cheeked  delighted  in  the  freedom  of 
the  room,  feared  nothing,  came  upon  the  desk 
freely,  and  calmly  met  one's  eyes  with  his  own, 
brave  free  soul  that  he  was,  while  his  vis-d-vis 
was  timid  and  shy,  could  not  be  induced  to 
leave  the  shelter  of  his  home  though  the  door 
stood  open  all  day.  He  never  resented  the  in- 
trusion of  a  neighbor,  nor  disputed  the  posses- 
sion of  his  own  dish. 

Almost  as  interesting  as  his  song  was  a  be- 
witching dance  with  which  the  gray-cheeked 
charmed  every  one  fortunate  enough  to  see 
him.  His  chosen  hour  was  the  approach  of 
evening,  when,  with  body  very  erect  and  head 
thrown  up  in  ecstasy,  he  lifted  his  wings  high 
above  his  back,  fluttering  them  rapidly  with  a 


164  MYSTERY  IN  THRUSH  LIFE. 

sound  like  soft  patter  of  summer  rain,  while 
he  moved  back  and  forth  on  his  perch  with  the 
daintiest  of  little  steps  and  hops :  now  up,  now 
down,  now  across  the  cage,  with  gentle  noise 
of  feet  and  wings.  No  music  accompanied  it, 
and  none  was  needed  —  it  was  music  itself. 
Not  only  did  he  dance  away  the  long  hours  of 
twilight,  till  so  dark  he  could  not  be  seen,  but 
he  greeted  the  dawn  in  the  same  way ;  long 
before  any  other  bird  stirred,  before  the  hid- 
eous morning  call  of  the  first  sparrow  in  the 
street,  the  soft  flutter  of  his  wings,  the  light 
patter  of  his  feet  was  heard.  In  the  night  also, 
if  gas  was  lighted,  however  dimly,  dancing 
began  and  was  continued  in  the  darkness,  long 
after  the  light  was  out  and  every  other  feather 
at  rest.  A  sudden  light  stopped  the  motion, 
but  revealed  the  dancer  agitated,  stirred,  with 
soft  dark  eyes  fixed  upon  the  observer.  This 
dance  was  not  an  attempt  or  indication  of  a 
desire  to  escape,  as  I  am  sure  for  several  rea- 
sons. I  can  tell  the  instant  that  longing  for 
freedom  sets  in.  It  was  a  fresh  sign  of  the 
strange,  mysterious  emotion  with  which  all 
thrushes  greet  the  rising  and  setting  of  the 
sun. 

The  singular  use  of  the  feet  by  this  bird  was 
very  peculiar,  and  not  confined  to  his  dancing 
hours.  While  standing  on  the  edge  of  the 


THE  DEAR  DELIGHT.  165 

bathing-dish,  longing,  yet  dreading  to  enter  the 
water,  on  alighting  upon  an  unaccustomed 
perch,  or  venturing  on  to  the  desk,  many  times 
a  day  he  took  the  little  steps,  lifting  first  one, 
then  the  other  foot  very  slightly,  and  bringing 
it  down  with  a  sound  without  changing  his  po- 
sition. It  seemed  to  be  an  evidence  of  excite- 
ment, as  another  bird  might  exhibit  by  a  quiv- 
ering of  the  wings.  The  veery  was  also  a 
dancer,  but  in  a  different  way.  He  fanned  his 
wings  violently  and  moved  back  and  forth  across 
the  top  of  a  cage,  but  always  in  daylight,  and 
then  only  on  the  rare  occasions  when,  by  placing 
his  food  outside,  he  was  coaxed  from  his  cage. 
Bathing  was  —  next  to  singing  —  the  dear 
delight  of  the  gray-cheeked's  life,  yet  no  bird 
ever  had  more  misgivings  about  taking  the  fatal 
plunge.  His  first  movement  on  leaving  the 
cage  was  to  go  to  the  bath,  around  which  he 
hovered,  now  this  side,  now  that,  one  moment 
on  the  perch  above,  the  next  on  the  edge  of  the 
dish,  plainly  longing  to  be  in,  yet  the  mere  ap- 
proach of  the  smallest  bird  in  the  room  drove 
him  away.  Not  that  he  was  afraid,  he  was  not 
in  the  least  a  coward ;  he  met  everybody  and 
everything  with  the  dignity  and  bravery  of  a 
true  thrush.  Neither  was  it  that  he  was  dis- 
abled when  wet,  which  makes  some  birds  hesi- 
tate ;  he  was  never  at  all  disordered  by  his 


166          THE  IDEAL  BIRD  IN  THE   GLASS. 

bath,  and  however  long  he  soaked,  or  thor- 
oughly he  spattered,  his  plumage  remained  in 
place  and  he  was  perfectly  able  to  fly  at  once. 
It  appeared  simply  that  he  could  not  make  up 
his  mind  to  go  in.  Then  too,  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  he  noticed  his  reflection  in  the 
water.  He  often  stood  on  the  edge  after  bath- 
ing, as  well  as  before,  looking  intently  upon  the 
image.  Before  the  glass  he  did  the  same,  look* 
ing  earnestly  and  in  a  low  tone  "  uttering  his 
thoughts  to  the  ideal  bird  whioh  he  fancied  he 
saw  before  him."  Indeed,  I  think  this  ideal 
thrush  was  a  great  comfort  to  him. 

Once  having  decided  to  go  into  the  bath  he 
enjoyed  it  exceedingly,  though  in  an  unusual 
way,  fluttering  and  splashing  vigorously  for  a 
moment,  then  standing  motionless  up  to  his 
body  in  the  water,  not  shaking  or  pluming  him- 
self, not  alarmed,  but  quietly  enjoying  the 
soaking.  After  several  fits  of  splashing  alter- 
nated with  soaking,  he  went  to  a  perch  and 
shook  and  plumed  himself  nearly  dry,  and  just 
when  one  would  think  he  had  entirely  finished, 
he  returned  to  the  dish,  and  began  again  — 
hesitating  on  the  brink,  coquetting  with  the 
"  ideal  thrush  "  in  the  water,  and  in  fact  doing 
the  whole  thing  over  again. 

My  bird  had  a  genuine  thrush's  love  of  quiet 
and  dislike  of  a  crowd,  preferred  unfrequented 


STRANGE  PLACES  TO  ALIGHT.     167 

places  to  alight  on,  and  was  quite  ingenious  in 
finding  them.  The  ornamental  top  of  a  gas- 
fixture  a  few  inches  below  the  ceiling,  which 
was  cup-shaped  and  nearly  hid  him,  was  a  fa- 
vorite place.  So  was  also  the  loose  edge  of  a 
hanging  card-board  map  which,  having  been 
long  rolled,  hung  out  from  the  wall  like  a  half- 
open  scroll.  This  he  liked  best,  for  no  other 
bird  ever  approached  it,  and  here  he  passed 
much  time  swinging,  as  if  he  enjoyed  the  mo- 
tion which  he  plainly  made  efforts  to  keep  up. 
His  plan  was  to  fly  across  the  room  and  alight 
suddenly  upon  it,  when,  of  course  it  swayed  up 
and  down  with  his  weight.  The  moment  it 
came  to  a  rest,  he  flew  around  the  room  in  a 
wide  circle  and  came  down  again  heavily,  hold- 
ing on  with  all  his  might,  and  keeping  his  bal- 
ance with  wings  and  tail.  He  enjoyed  it  so 
well  that  he  often  swung  for  a  long  time. 

Later  he  found  another  snug  retreat  where 
no  bird  ever  intruded.  He  discovered  it  in  this 
way :  one  day,  on  being  suddenly  startled  by 
an  erratic  dash  around  the  room  of  the  brown 
thrush,  which  scattered  the  smaller  birds  like 
leaves  before  the  wind,  he  brought  up  under 
the  bed  on  the  floor.  The  larger  bird  had  evi- 
dently marked  the  place  of  his  retreat,  for  he 
followed  him,  and  in  his  mad  way  rushed  under 
when  the  gray-cheeked  disappeared.  The  bed- 


168  RETIREMENT   UNDER  THE  BED. 

stead  was  a  light  iron  one,  high  from  the  floor, 
so  that  all  this  was  plainly  seen.  No  one  being 
in  sight,  the  brown  thrush  came  out  and  turned 
to  his  regular  business  of  stirring  up  the  house- 
hold while  the  little  thrush  was  not  to  be  seen, 
and  perfect  silence  seemed  to  indicate  that  he 
was  not  there  at  all.  After  some  search,  aided 
by  an  indiscreet  movement  on  his  part,  he  was 
found  perched  on  the  framework,  between  the 
mattress  and  the  wall.  This  narrow  retreat, 
apparently  discovered  by  accident,  soon  became 
a  favorite  retiring  place  when  he  did  not  care 
for  society. 

This  interesting  bird,  with  all  his  dignity, 
had  a  playful  disposition.  Nothing  pleased  him 
better  than  rattling  and  tearing  to  bits  a  news- 
paper or  the  paper  strips  over  a  row  of  books, 
although  he  had  to  stand  on  the  latter  while  lie 
worked  at  it ;  and  notwithstanding  it  not  only 
rustled,  but  disturbed  his  footing  as  well,  he 
was  never  discouraged.  A  more  violent  jerk 
than  usual  sometimes  startled  him  so  that  he 
bounded  six  or  eight  inches  into  the  air  in  his 
surprise,  but  he  instantly  returned  to  the  play 
and  never  rested  till  he  had  picked  holes,  torn 
pieces  out,  and  reduced  it  to  a  complete  wreck. 

All  through  the  long  winter  this  charming 
thrush,  with  his  two  neighbors,  delighted  the 
house  with  his  peculiar  and  matchless  music, 


SURPRISE  OF  FREEDOM.  169 

and  endeared  himself  by  his  gentle  and  lovely 
disposition.  No  harsh  sound  was  ever  heard 
from  him,  there  was  no  intrusion  upon  the 
rights  of  others,  and  no  vulgar  quarrels  dis- 
turbed his  serene  soul.  But  as  spring  began  to 
stir  his  blood  he  changed  a  little;  he  grew 
somewhat  belligerent,  refused  to  let  any  one 
alight  in  his  chosen  places,  and  even  drove  oth- 
ers away  from  his  side  of  the  room.  Now,  too, 
he  added  to  his  already  melting  song  an  inde- 
scribable trill,  something  so  spiritual,  so  charged 
with  the  wildness  of  the  woods,  that  no  words 
—  even  of  a  poet  —  can  do  it  justice.  Now, 
too,  he  began  to  turn  longing  glances  out  of  the 
window,  and  evidently  his  heart  was  no  longer 
with  us.  So,  on  the  first  perfect  day  in  May 
he  was  taken  to  a  secluded  nook  in  a  park  and 
his  door  set  open.  His  first  flight  was  to  a  low 
tree,  twenty  feet  from  the  silent  spectator,  who 
waited,  anxious  to  see  if  his  year's  captivity 
had  unfitted  him  for  freedom. 

Perching  on  the  lowest  branch,  the  thrush 
instantly  crouched  in  an  attitude  of  surprise 
and  readiness  for  anything,  which  was  common 
with  him,  his  bill  pointed  up  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees,  head  sunk  in  the  shoulders, 
and  tail  standing  out  stiffly,  thus  forming  a  per- 
fectly straight  line  from  the  point  of  his  beak 
to  the  tip  of  his  tail.  There  he  stood,  perfectly 


170  A  HAPPY  BIRD. 

motionless,  apparently  not  moving  so  much  as 
an  eyelid  for  twenty  minutes,  trying  to  realize 
what  had  happened  to  him  and  in  the  patient, 
deliberate  manner  of  a  thrush  to  adjust  himself 
to  his  new  conditions.  In  the  nook  were  silence 
and  delicious  odors  of  the  woods ;  from  a  thick 
shrub  on  one  side  came  the  sweet  erratic  song 
of  a  cat-bird,  and  at  a  little  distance  the  rich  or- 
gan-tones of  the  wood-thrush.  All  these  entered 
the  soul  of  the  emancipated  bird ;  he  listened, 
he  looked,  and  at  last  he  spoke,  a  low,  soft, 
"  wee-o."  That  broke  the  spell,  he  drew  him- 
self up,  hopped  about  the  tree,  flew  to  a  shrub, 
all  the  time  posturing  and  jerking  wings  and 
tail  in  extreme  excitement  and  no  doubt  happi- 
ness to  the  tips  of  his  toes.  At  last  he  dropped 
to  the  ground  and  fell  to  digging  and  reveling 
in  the  soft  loose  earth  with  enthusiasm.  The 
loving  friend  looking  on  was  relieved  ;  this  was 
what  she  had  waited  for,  to  be  assured  that  he 
knew  where  to  look  for  supplies,  and  though 
she  left  his  familiar  dish  full  of  food  where  he 
could  see  it  in  case  of  accident,  she  came  away 
feeling  that  he  had  not  been  incapacitated  for  a 
free  life  by  his  months  with  her. 

One  more  glimpse  of  him  made  it  clear  also 
that  he  could  fly  as  well  as  his  wild  neighbors, 
and  removed  the  last  anxiety  about  him.  A 
wood-thrush,  after  noticing  the  stranger  for 


FAREWELL.  171 

some  minutes,  finally  braved  the  human  pres- 
ence and  made  a  rush  for  the  little  fellow  about 
half  his  size.  Whether  war  or  welcome  moved 
him  was  not  evident,  for  away  they  flew  across 
the  nook,  not  more  than  a  foot  apart,  now 
sweeping  low  over  the  grass,  then  mounting 
higher  to  pass  over  the  shrubs  that  defined  it. 
A  hundred  feet  or  more  the  chase  continued, 
and  then  the  smaller  bird  dropped  into  a  low 
bush,  and  the  larger  one  passed  on. 

Then  lonely,  with  empty  cage  and  a  happy 
heart-ache,  his  friend  turned  away  and  left  the 
beautiful  bird  to  his  fate,  assured  that  he  was 
well  able  to  supply  his  needs  and  to  protect 
himself — in  a  word,  to  be  free. 


A  BIRD   OF   AFFAIRS. 


But  now  the  sun  is  rising  calm  and  bright ; 

The  jay  makes  answer  as  the  magpie  chatters, 
And  all  the  air  is  filled  with  pleasant  sound  of  waters, 

All  things  that  love  the  sun  are  cut  of  doors. 

WORDSWORTH. 


X. 

A  BIRD  OF  AFFAIRS. 


ONE  of  the  most  interesting  birds  I  have 
studied  was  a  blue-jay;  I  may  say  is,  for  he 
stands  at  this  moment  not  six  feet  from  me,  his 
whole  mind  intent  upon  the  business  of  driving 
small  corks  through  a  hole  which  they  snugly 
fit.  He  takes  the  cork,  as  he  does  everything, 
lengthwise,  and  turns  it  about  till  he  gets  the 
smaller  end  outside ;  then  pushes  it  into  the 
hole  and  pounds  it,  delivering  straight  and 
rapid  strokes  with  his  iron  beak,  till  it  is  not 
only  driven  up  to  the  head,  but,  since  he  has 
found  out  that  he  can  do  so,  till  it  drops  out  on 
the  other  side,  when,  after  an  interested  glance 
to  see  where  it  has  fallen,  he  instantly  goes  to 
the  floor  for  another,  and  repeats  the  perform- 
ance. Hammering,  indeed,  is  one  of  his  chief 
pleasures,  and  no  woodpecker,  whose  special 
mission  it  is  supposed  to  be,  can  excel  him ;  in 
excitement,  in  anger,  when  suffering  from  ennui 
or  from  embarrassment,  he  always  resorts  to 


176  INDUSTRIOUS  MISCHIEF. 

that  exercise  to  relieve  his  feelings.  I  have 
thought  sometimes  he  did  it  to  hear  the  noise 
and  to  amuse  himself,  in  which  case  it  might 
be  called  drumming. 

Not  only  does  my  bird  occupy  himself  with 
corks,  but  with  perches  and  the  woodwork  of 
his  cage,  with  so  great  success  that  the  former 
have  to  be  frequently  renewed,  and  the  latter 
looks  as  though  rats  had  nibbled  it.  The  delib- 
erate way  in  which  he  goes  to  work  to  destroy 
his  cage  is  amusing,  lifting  the  end  of  a  perch 
and  quietly  throwing  it  to  the  floor,  or  pound- 
ing and  splitting  off  a  big  splinter  of  the  soft 
pine  and  carefully  hiding  it.  To  give  him  liber- 
ty, as  I  have,  is  simply  to  enlarge  the  field  of  his 
labors,  and  furnish  him  congenial  employment 
from  morning  to  night,  the  happiest  and  busiest 
member  of  the  household.  He  tries  every- 
thing :  the  covers  of  cardboard  boxes,  always 
choosing  the  spot  that  is  weakest  at  the  cor- 
ner, and  pounding  till  it  is  ruined;  the  cane 
seats  of  chairs,  which  he  selects  with  equal 
judgment,  and  never  leaves  till  he  has  effected 
a  breach ;  a  delicate  work-basket,  at  which  he 
labors  with  enthusiasm,  driving  his  pickaxe  bill 
into  it  and  cutting  a  big  hole.  It  is  most 
curious  to  see  him  set  himself  to  pick  a  hole, 
for  instance,  in  a  close-woven  rattan  chair,  or  a 
firm  piece  of  matting  stretched  upon  the  floor. 


SCALLOPING    THE  LEAVES.  177 

Selecting,  by  some  esoteric  wisdom,  the  most 
vulnerable  spot,  he  pushes  and  pounds  and 
pokes  till  he  gets  the  tip  of  his  beak  under  a 
strand,  and  then  pulls  and  jerks  and  twists  till 
he  draws  it  out  of  its  place.  After  this  the 
task  is  easy,  and  he  spends  hours  over  it,  ending 
with  a  hole  in  the  matting  three  or  four  inches 
in  diameter ;  for  he  is  never  discouraged,  and 
his  persistence  of  purpose  is  marvelous.  Books 
are  a  special  object  of  his  attentions  ;  not  only 
does  he  peck  the  backs  as  they  stand  on  the 
shelves,  till  he  can  insert  his  beak  and  tear  off  a 
bit,  but  if  he  finds  one  lying  down  he  thrusts  the 
same  useful  instrument  into  the  edge,  slightly 
open  so  as  to  enclose  two  or  three  leaves,  and 
then,  with  a  dexterous  twist  of  the  head,  jerks 
out  a  neat  little  three-cornered  piece.  Thus  he 
goes  on,  and  after  a  short  absence  from  the  room 
I  have  found  a  great  litter  of  white  bits,  and  my 
big  dictionary  curiously  scalloped  on  the  edges. 
He  is  able  to  pound  up  as  well  as  down,  crouch- 
ing, turning  his  head  back,  and  delivering  tre- 
mendous blows  on  the  very  spot  he  wishes,  and 
so  accurately  that  he  easily  cuts  a  thread,  hold- 
ing its  strands  under  one  toe. 

But  hammering,  though  a  great  pleasure,  is 
not  his  dearest  delight.  The  thing  for  which, 
apparently,  he  came  into  the  world  is  to  put 
small  objects  out  of  sight,  —  bury  them,  in 


178       MAKING  THE  ROOM  NEAT. 

fact.  No  doubt  the  business  for  which  Nature 
fitted  him,  and  which  in  freedom  he  would  fol- 
low with  enthusiasm,  is  the  planting  of  trees; 
to  his  industry  we  probably  owe  many  an  oak 
and  nut  tree  springing  up  in  odd  places.  In 
captivity,  poor  soul,  he  does  the  best  he  can  to 
fulfill  his  destiny.  When  he  has  more  of  any 
special  dainty  than  he  can  eat  at  the  moment, 
as  meat,  or  bread  and  milk,  he  hides  it  at  the 
back  of  his  tray,  or  in  the  hole  already  spoken 
of  in  connection  with  the  corks ;  and  when  out- 
side, nothing  can  be  droller  than  the  air  of  con- 
cern with  which  he  goes  around  the  floor,  pick- 
ing up  any  small  thing  he  finds,  left  purposely 
for  him,  a  burnt  match,  a  small  key,  stray  pins, 
or  a  marble,  and  seeks  the  very  best  and  most 
secluded  spot  in  the  room  in  which  to  hide  it. 
A  pin  he  takes  lengthwise  in  his  mouth,  which 
he  closes  as  though  he  had  swallowed  it,  as  at 
first  I  feared  he  had.  He  has  no  doubt  about 
the  best  place  for  that ;  he  long  ago  decided 
that  between  the  leaves  of  a  book  is  safest.  So 
he  proceeds  at  once  to  find  a  convenient  volume, 
and  thrusts  the  pin  far  in  out  of  sight.  A 
match  gives  him  the  most  trouble.  He  tries 
the  cracks  under  the  grooves  in  the  moulding  of 
the  doors,  the  base  board,  between  the  matting 
and  the  wall,  or  under  a  rocker ;  in  each  place 
he  puts  it  carefully,  and  pounds  it  in,  then  hops 
off,  giving  me  one  of  the 


GETTING  OFF  MATCHES.        179 

"  sidelong  glances  wise 
Wherewith  the  jay  hints  tragedies/' 

attempting  to  look  unconcerned,  as  if  he  had 
not  been  doing  anything.  But  if  he  sees  that 
he  is  observed,  or  the  match  is  too  plainly  in 
sight,  he  removes  it  and  begins  again,  running 
and  hopping  around  on  the  floor  with  the  most 
solemn,  business-like  air,  as  though  he  had  the 
affairs  of  nations  on  his  shoulders,  the  match 
thrust  nearly  its  whole  length  into  his  mouth. 
The  place  usually  decided  upon  is  an  opening 
between  the  breadths  of  matting.  It  is  amus- 
ing when  he  chances  to  get  hold  of  a  box  of 
matches,  accidentally  left  open,  for  he  feels 
the  necessity  and  importance  of  disposing  of 
each  one,  and  is  busy  and  industrious  in  pro- 
portion to  the  task  before  him.  It  is  not  so 
pleasing,  however,  when,  in  his  hammering,  he 
sets  one  off,  as  he  often  does;  for  they  are 
"  parlor  matches,"  and  light  with  a  small  explo- 
sion, which  frightens  him  half  out  of  his  wits, 
and  me  as  well,  lest  he  set  the  house  afire. 
The  business  of  safely  and  securely  secreting 
one  match  will  frequently  occupy  him  half  an 
hour.  He  finds  the  oddest  hiding-places,  as  in 
a  caster  between  the  wheel  and  its  frame  ;  up 
inside  the  seat  of  a  stuffed  chair,  to  reach 
which  he  flies  up  on  to  the  webbing  and  goes 
in  among  the  springs ;  in  the  side  of  my  slipper 


180  FILLING    UP  KEYHOLES. 

while  on  my  foot ;  in  the  loop  of  a  bow ;  in  the 
plaits  of  a  ruffle  ;  under  a  pillow.  Often  when 
I  get  up,  a  shower  of  the  jay's  treasures  falls 
from  various  hiding-places  about  my  dress,  — 
nails,  matches,  shoe-buttons,  and  others;  and  I 
am  never  sure  that  I  shall  not  find  soft,  milk- 
soaked  bread  in  my  slipper.  But  the  latest  dis- 
covered and  most  annoying  of  his  receptacles  is 
in  my  hair.  He  delights  in  standing  on  the 
high  back  of  my  rocking-chair,  or  on  my 
shoulder,  and  he  soon  discovered  several  desira- 
ble hiding-places  conveniently  near,  such  as  my 
ear,  and  under  the  loosely  dressed  hair.  I  did 
not  object  to  his  using  these,  but  when  he 
attempted  to  tuck  away  some  choice  thing  be- 
tween my  lips  I  rebelled.  I  never  expect  to 
find  a  keyhole  that  he  can  reach,  free  from 
bread  crumbs,  and  the  openings  of  my  waste- 
basket  are  usually  decorated  with  objects  half 
driven  in. 

The  jay  shows  unbounded  interest  in  every- 
thing. Every  sound  and  every  fresh  sight 
arouses  him  instantly;  his  crest  comes  up, 
his  feathers  fluff  out,  and  he  is  on  tiptoe  to 
see  what  will  come  next.  He  is  remarkably 
discriminating  among  people,  and  takes  violent 
likes  and  dislikes  on  the  instant.  Some  per- 
sons, without  any  reason  that  I  can  discover, 
he  salutes  on  their  first  appearance  with  an  in- 


WAR   UPON  THE  BABY.  181 

describable  cry,  like  "  obble !  obble  !  obble !  " 
At  others  he  squawks  madly.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  took  an  intense  dislike  to  a  lady,  of 
whom  birds  generally  are  very  fond,  and  he 
made  a  peculiar  display  of  rage,  squawking 
and  screaming  at  her,  raising  his  crest,  stamp- 
ing, snapping  his  beak,  giving  vicious  digs  at 
the  side  of  the  cage,  as  though  he  would  eat 
her  if  he  could  reach  her.  And  although  he 
often  saw  her,  and  she  tried  her  best  to  win 
him,  he  always  showed  the  same  spirit,  going 
so  far,  when  out  of  his  cage,  as  to  show  fight, 
fly  up  at  her,  peck  her  savagely,  and  chase  her 
to  the  door  when  she  left.  Again,  a  lady  came 
in  with  her  baby,  and  he  at  once  singled  out 
the  infant  as  his  enemy,  fixing  a  very  wicked 
glance  on  it,  but  in  perfect  silence.  He  jumped 
back  and  forth  as  if  mad  to  get  out,  and  sat 
with  open  mouth,  panting  as  if  exhausted,  with 
eyes  immovably  turned  to  the  baby.  He  would 
not  pay  the  slightest  attention  to  any  one  else, 
nor  answer  me  when  I  spoke,  which  was  very 
unusual,  till  they  left  the  room,  when  the  mo- 
ment the  door  closed  behind  them  he  began 
rapidly,  as  if  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  Some 
visitors  whom  he  fancies,  he  receives  in  silence, 
but  with  slightly  quivering  wings ;  only  the 
very  few  he  loves  best  are  greeted  with  a  low, 
sweet,  and  very  peculiar  chatter,  which  he  keeps 
up  as  long  as  he  is  talked  to. 


182  IN  THE  DESK  DRAWERS. 

Investigating  everything  in  the  room  is  one 
of  my  bird's  greatest  pleasures,  and  most  at- 
tractive of  all  he  finds  the  drawer  of  my  desk, 
on  the  edge  of  which  he  stands,  delighted  and 
bewildered  by  the  variety  before  him.  Great 
would  be  the  havoc  if  I  were  not  there ;  and 
the  curious  thing  about  it  is  that  he  will  pull 
things  over  carelessly,  with  one  eye  on  me,  to 
see  if  I  object.  If,  on  touching  some  particu- 
lar thing,  he  sees  that  I  do  not  approve,  —  and 
he  recognizes  my  sentiment  as  quickly  as  a 
bright  child  would,  —  that  thing,  and  that 
only,  he  will  have.  At  once  he  snatches  it 
and  flies  away  across  the  room,  and  I  may 
chase  him  in  vain.  He  regards  it  as  a  frolic 
got  up  for  his  amusement,  and  no  child  ever 
equaled  him  in  dodging  ;  he  cannot  be  driven, 
and  if  cornered  he  uses  his  wings.  I  simply 
put  my  wits  against  his,  follow  him  about  till 
he  has  to  drop  his  load  to  breathe,  when  a  sud- 
den start  sends  him  off,  and  I  secure  it.  If  I 
cover  up  anything,  he  knows  at  once  it  is  some 
forbidden  treasure,  and  devotes  all  his  energy 
and  cunning,  which  are  great,  to  uncovering 
and  possessing  himself  of  it.  He  opens  any 
box  by  delivering  sharp  blows  under  the  edge 
of  the  cover,  and  hides  my  postage  stamps 
in  books  and  magazines.  He  hops  around 
the  floor  in  a  heavy  way,  as  often  sideways  as 


A  BIRD   OF  OPINIONS.  183 

straight,  and  holds  his  toes  as  close  together  as 
though  he  had  worn  tight  boots  all  his  life.  If 
startled,  he  bounds  up  into  the  air  in  the  oddest 
way,  a  foot  or  two,  or  even  more,  generally 
turning  half  round,  and  coming  down  with  his 
head  the  other  way.  If  much  alarmed  he  will 
bounce  up  in  this  way  half  a  dozen  times  in 
quick  succession,  and  should  he  happen  to  be 
on  a  table  at  the  time,  he  usually  ends  by  land- 
ing on  the  floor.  His  alighting  after  any  flight 
is  most  singular :  he  comes  to  the  floor  in  a 
crouching  position,  legs  sprawled,  body  horizon- 
tal and  nearly  touching  the  matting,  looking 
like  a  bird  gone  mad ;  then  instantly  springs 
up  six  or  eight  inches,  half  turns,  and  stands 
upright,  crest  erect,  and  looking  excited,  almost 
frightened.  If  much  disturbed  he  comes  down 
with  wings  half  open,  tail  held  up,  and  every 
feather  awry,  as  if  he  were  out  in  a  gale,  ut- 
tering at  the  same  time  a  loud  squawk.  He  is 
a  most  expert  catcher,  not  only  seizing  without 
fail  a  canary  seed  thrown  to  him,  but  even  flut- 
tering bits  of  falling  paper,  the  hardest  of  all 
things  to  catch. 

The  blue-jay  is  a  bird  of  opinions  about  most 
things,  and  able  to  express  himself  quite  clearly ; 
as,  for  example,  when  he  found  himself  under 
a  chair  without  rounds,  on  which  he  likes  to 
perch,  he  stood  and  looked  around  on  every  side, 


184  STAMPING  HIS  FEET. 

and  made  a  low,  complaining  cry,  plainly  a  pro- 
test against  so  unnatural  a  chair ;  and  again, 
when  he  scolded  at  the  rain  that  came  in  sudden 
gusts  against  the  window,  or  charged  furiously 
at  the  crack  under  a  door  when  he  heard  sweep- 
ing outside.  In  general  he  is  very  quiet  when 
one  is  in  the  room,  but  the  moment  the  door 
closes  behind  the  last  person  his  voice  is  heard, 
—  whistling  exactly  like  a  boy,  calling,  squawk- 
ing, and  occasionally  uttering  a  sweet,  though 
not  loud  song,  which  is  varied  by  a  sound  like 
rubbing  a  cork  against  glass.  The  most  quiet 
approach  silences  him.  When  under  strong 
emotion  he  may  squawk  or  scream  before  spec- 
tators, but  he  never  whistles  or  sings  when  he 
knows  any  one  is  in  the  room.  When  out  of 
his  sight  and  so  long  silent  that  he  has  forgotten 
me,  I  have  now  and  then  heard  the  song. 

The  funniest  thing  this  knowing  fellow  does 
is  to  stamp  his  feet,  and  it  is  a  genuine  expres- 
sion of  impatience  or  displeasure.  When  I  take 
something  away  from  him  or  he  thinks  I  mean 
to  do  so,  or  refuse  him  something  he  wants,  he 
stands  still  and  jerks  his  feet  in  such  a  way  that 
they  stamp  with  a  loud  sound,  as  if  they  w  jre 
of  iron.  It  is  very  droll.  In  serious  anger,  he 
adds  to  this,  bowing  and  curtsying  by  bending 
the  legs,  snapping  the  bill,  pecking,  and  jump- 
ing up  with  the  body  without  lifting  the  feet. 


HE  LOST  HIS   TAIL.  185 

It  may  be  that  the  jay  in  freedom  disturbs 
other  birds,  as  has  been  affirmed,  but  among  a 
number  smaller  than  himself  my  bird  has  never 
once  shown  the  least  hostility.  He  is  inter- 
ested in  their  doings,  but  the  only  unpleasant 
thing  he  has  done  is  to  shriek  and  scream 
to  stop  their  singing.  In  spite  of  his  nat- 
ural boldness,  always  facing  the  enemy,  al- 
ways ready  to  fight,  and  never  running  from 
danger  nor  allowing  himself  to  be  driven  any- 
where, when  he  is  not  quite  well  he  is  a  timid 
bird.  In  moulting,  this  spring,  my  jay  lost 
his  entire  tail,  and  was  extremely  awkward  in 
getting  about,  almost  helpless,  in  fact ;  and  at 
that  time  he  was  afraid  to  hop  to  the  floor,  and 
refused  to  come  out  of  the  cage.  (I  should  have 
said,  by  the  way,  that  he  feared  hurting  him- 
self ;  he  was  quite  as  spirited  as  ever,  as  ready 
to  show  fight.)  To  get  him  out  of  the  door  I 
offered  him  the  greatest  inducements,  with  the 
cage  on  the  floor,  so  that  he  could  not  fall  far. 
He  would  stand  on  the  lowest  perch,  three 
inches  from  the  floor,  look  at  the  meat  or  what- 
ever treasure  I  placed  in  the  open  doorway,  and 
cry  a  faint,  low,  jay-baby  cry,  yet  not  dare  de- 
scend, though  plainly  aching  with  desire  to  get 
the  object  so  nearly  within  his  reach.  Even 
since  he  is  entirely  recovered  and  the  possessor 
of  a  beautiful  long  tail,  he  dreads  the  one  little 


186  ON  THE  PLAYERS  HEAD. 

step,  and  has  to  be  coaxed  out  and  in  his  cage 
every  day,  as  we  coax  a  startled  child. 

Nothing  ever  interested  the  jay  more  than  a 
piano,  though  he  is  fond  of  any  music.  The 
first  time  he  heard  one  he  quickly  hopped  across 
to  the  player,  pulled  at  the  hem  of  her  dress, 
flew  up  to  her  lap,  then  her  arm,  and  mounted 
to  her  shoulder,  where  he  stood  some  time, 
looking  and  listening,  turning  his  head  this  way 
and  that,  raising  his  crest,  jerking  his  body, 
and  in  every  way  showing  intense  excitement. 
Finally  he  took  his  last  step,  to  the  top  of  her 
head,  where  he  was  more  pleased  to  be  than  the 
player  was  to  have  him.  She  put  him  down ; 
and  the  next  time  he  tried  a  different  way, 
mounted  to  the  keys,  and  thence  to  the  cover, 
crouching  and  peering  under  the  lid  to  see 
where  the  sounds  came  from.  Satisfied  about 
this,  he  returned  to  her  head,  which  he  evi- 
dently considered  the  best  post  of  observation. 
Every  time  she  played  she  received  the  devoted 
attentions  of  the  bird,  and  he  could  not  be  kept 
away. 

My  blue-jay  is  now  a  beautiful  creature,  in 
perfect  plumage,  with  breast  and  back  plumes 
so  long  that  often  in  repose,  just  after  he  has 
dressed  them,  the  violet  blue  of  the  back  meets 
the  light  drab  of  his  breast,  on  the  side,  cover- 
ing his  wings  completely,  and  making  a  lovely 


OUR  TROUBLESOME  ROGUE.  187 

picture.  All  through  the  spring  excitement, 
when  the  other  birds,  one  after  another,  grew 
uneasy,  belligerent,  or  unhappy,  and  one  after 
another  were  returned  to  freedom,  he  never 
showed  a  moment's  uneasiness,  an  instant's  de- 
sire to  be  free,  but  scrupulously  attended  to  his 
own  regular  business,  which  is  to  pound  and 
pull  and  peck  to  pieces  my  furniture,  and  espe- 
cially to  destroy  my  books. 

As  these  last  words  are  written,  just  at  dusk, 
the  dear,  troublesome  rogue  comes  down  to  the 
corner  of  his  cage  nearest  to  me,  and  as  if  he 
understood  that  I  had  said  something  about  him 
begins  to  talk  and  remonstrate  in  a  low,  loving 
tone.  I  do  feel  reproached,  and  I  must  unsay  it. 
His  business,  his  manifest  destiny,  is  to  hammer 
and  peck  the  shells  of  nuts,  and  to  hide  them 
away  where  they  will  grow ;  and  if  cruel  man 
confines  him  in  a  house,  he  must  exercise  his 
untiring  energy,  his  demon  of  work,  in  what  he 
finds  there, — and  who  can  blame  him,  or  find 
fault  ?  Not  I,  certainly. 

In  behalf  of  this  bird  against  whom  the  pen 
of  nearly  every  writer  is  lifted,  let  me  quote 
from  one  of  our  early  and  most  careful  observ- 
ers, William  Bartram  :  "  The  jay  is  one  of  the 
most  useful  agents  in  the  economy  of  nature  for 
disseminating  forest  trees  and  other  ruciferous 
and  hard-seeded  vegetables  on  which  they  feed. 


188  IN  HIS  VINDICATION. 

These  birds  alone  are  capable  in  a  few  years' 
time  to  replant  all  the  cleared  lands."  Thoreau, 
who  was  perhaps  the  closest  of  our  modern  stu- 
dents of  nature,  cites  this  passage  and  emphat- 
ically affirms  its  justice. 


THE  BLUE-JAY  AGAIN. 


As  for  birds,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  one  of  them  but  does 
more  good  than  harm ;  and  of  how  many  featherless  bipeds 
can  this  be  said  ? 

LOWELL. 


XL 
THE  BLUE-JAY  AGAIN. 


THE  blue-jay  came  out  of  the  egg  with  his 
mind  made  up.  He  always  knew  exactly  what 
he  wanted,  and  never  doubted  that  he  knew 
how  to  get  it.  I  wrote  of  this  bird  some  time 
ago,  but  he  was  then  a  comparatively  new  ac- 
quaintance. He  lived  with  us  many  months 
after  that,  and  became  much  more  familiar ;  for 
besides  being  slow  to  feel  thoroughly  at  home, 
he  was  very  young,  and  he  grew  in  wisdom  with 
age.  So  I  have  more  to  say  of  him. 

Human  society  was  necessary  to  the  jay ;  he 
cared  for  the  other  birds  of  the  room  only  as 
objects  on  which  to  play  tricks  for  his  own 
amusement.  He  was  peculiar,  too,  in  never 
liking  more  than  one  friend  at  a  time,  and  was 
very  decided  in  his  opinions  of  people,  having 
a  distinctly  different  reception  for  each  one  of 
the  household,  as  well  as  for  strangers.  His 
mistress  was  always  his  prime  favorite ;  and 
although  during  my  absence  from  home  he 


192  TO  HIS  BEST  BELOVED. 

adopted  some  one  temporarily  in  my  place,  he 
was  never  so  affectionate  to  that  one  as  to  me, 
and  the  instant  I  returned  resumed  his  old  re- 
lations to  each  of  us. 

To  his  best  beloved  this  bird  never  squawked 
or  whistled ;  on  the  contrary,  he  talked  in  low, 
sweet  tones,  hardly  more  than  a  murmur, 
slightly  lifting  and  quivering  his  wings,  sidling 
as  near  as  he  could  get,  and  if  I  put  my  face 
down  to  him  touching  my  cheek  or  lips  gently 
with  his  beak,  in  little  taps,  like  kisses.  Any 
one  else  in  that  position  would  receive  a  violent 
peck.  Sometimes,  when  I  was  busy,  and  there- 
fore silent  a  long  time,  and  the  jay  was  in  his 
cage,  where  I  was  obliged  to  put  him  in  order 
to  work  at  all,  he  stood  perfectly  quiet  and 
motionless  an  hour  at  a  time,  moving  only  when 
he  was  hungry,  and  apparently  watching  me 
every  instant,  —  a  performance  very  uncommon 
in  a  bird,  who  usually  has  some  interests  of 
his  own,  however  fond  he  may  be  of  a  person. 
The  moment  I  spoke  to  him  his  whole  manner 
changed.  He  came  at  once  as  near  as  he  could, 
about  four  feet  from  me,  and  began  to  talk, 
holding  his  tail  on  one  side,  and  both  wings 
spread  to  their  fullest  extent  and  parallel  with 
his  back.  In  this  attitude  he  hopped  up  and 
down  his  three  perches,  always  as  near  my  side 
as  possible,  and  evidently  in  great  excitement. 


FOND  OF  ICE-CREAM.  193 

If  during  this  exhibition  any  one  came  in,  his 
wings  instantly  dropped,  though  he  did  not 
stop  talking  to  me.  This  action  of  the  wings 
showed  extreme  affection,  and  must  not  be  pro- 
faned by  common  eyes.  When  I  came  close 
and  replied  to  him,  his  agitation  was  almost 
painful  to  see,  —  such  loving  tones,  such  gentle 
kisses,  such  struggles  to  express  himself.  Not 
only  did  he  insist  on  sharing  his  dainties  with 
me,  offering  me  mocking-bird  food  or  bread  and 
milk  in  the  most  loving  way,  but  he  wished  to 
share  mine  ;  ice-cream  he  delighted  in,  cake  he 
was  as  fond  of  as  any  child,  and  candy  he  al- 
ways begged  for,  though  instead  of  eating  it 
he  hid  it  somewhere  about  the  room,  —  under 
my  pillow,  or  between  the  leaves  of  a  book,  all 
sticky  as  it  was  from  his  mouth. 

Second  in  the  blue-jay's  affection  was  a  lady 
to  whom  at  first  he  took  a  great  dislike.  She 
tried  her  best  to  win  him,  talking  to  him,  treat- 
ing him  to  various  tidbits,  and  offering  him  the 
hospitality  of  her  room, —  separated  from  the 
bird-room  by  a  passage,  —  and  above  all  danc- 
ing with  him.  These  attentions  in  time  secured 
her  a  warm  place  in  his  regards,  though  his 
treatment  of  her  was  very  different  from  that 
reserved  for  me.  He  was  always  gentle  with 
me,  while  in  her  society  he  exhibited  all  his 
noisy  accomplishments,  —  squawked,  whistled 


194  FROLICS    WITH  HIS  FRIEND. 

and  screamed,  stamped  his  feet,  and  jounced  (the 
only  word  to  describe  a  certain  raising  and  vio- 
lent dropping  of  the  body  without  lifting  the 
feet).  He  ran  after  her  when  she  left  the 
room ;  he  pecked  her  hand,  and  flew  up  at  her 
face.  Gradually,  as  he  grew  to  like  her  better, 
the  more  violent  demonstrations  ceased  ;  but  he 
was  always  boisterous  with  her,  generally  ex- 
pected a  half-fight,  half -frolic,  and  I  must  say 
never  failed  to  enjoy  it  greatly. 

The  dance  spoken  of  was  droll.  His  chosen 
place  for  this  indulgence  was  the  back  of  a  tall 
chair.  His  friend  stood  before  this,  whistled, 
bowed,  and  moved  her  head  up  and  down  as 
if  dancing ;  and  lie  on  his  perch  did  the  same, 
jumping  up  and  down  in  a  similar  way,  answer- 
ing her  whistle  for  whistle,  moving  his  feet,  slid- 
ing from  one  side  to  the  other,  curtsying,  lower- 
ing the  body  and  flattening  the  head  feathers, 
then  rising,  stamping  his  feet,  and  drooping  his 
wings.  This  he  kept  up  as  long  as  she  played 
second  to  him. 

When  this  playfellow  went  away,  the  jay 
missed  his  dances  and  frolics.  He  flew  into  her 
empty  room,  perched  on  the  back  of  the  rock- 
ing-chair, where  he  had  been  wont  to  stand  and 
pull  her  hair,  and  began  a  peculiar  cry.  Again 
and  again  he  repeated  it,  louder  and  louder  each 
time,  till  it  ended  in  a  squawk,  impatient  and 


"OBBLE!    OBBLE!"  195 

angry,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Why  don't  you  an- 
swer?" After  a  while  he  began  to  whistle 
the  notes  she  used  to  imitate ;  finding  that  this 
brought  no  response,  he  returned  to  the  cry ; 
and  when  at  last  he  had  exhausted  all  his  re- 
sources, he  came  back  to  my  desk  and  consoled 
himself  by  talking  to  me. 

A  young  lady  in  the  family  he  greeted  by 
flying  at  her,  alighting  on  her  chair-back,  claw- 
ing her  neck,  and  squawking ;  and  before  a 
youth  who  often  teased  him  he  trailed  his 
wings  on  the  floor,  tail  spread  and  dragging 
also,  uttering  a  curious  "obble!  obble!"  some- 
thing like  the'  cry  of  a  turkey.  The  head  of 
the  household  he  met  with  stamping  of  the  feet, 
and  no  sound ;  while  at  a  maid  who  came  in 
to  sweep  he  always  flew  furiously,  aiming  for 
her  head,  and  invariably  frightening  her  half 
out  of  her  wits. 

The  jay  was  extremely  wary  about  anything 
like  a  trap,  and  being  always  on  the  lookout  for 
one,  he  sometimes,  like  bigger  persons,  fooled 
himself  badly.  Finding  him  fond  of  standing 
on  a  set  of  turning  bookshelves,  I  thought  to 
please  him  by  arranging  over  it  a  convenient 
resting-place.  He  watched  me  with  great  in- 
terest, but,  when  I  had  finished,  declined  to  use 
the  perch,  though  ordinarily  nothing  could  keep 
him  from  trying  every  new  thing.  I  put  a  bait 


196  A  KNOWING  FELLOW. 

upon  it  in  the  shape  of  bits  of  gum-drops,  a 
favorite  delicacy ;  but  he  plainly  saw  that  I 
wanted  him  to  go  to  it,  and  in  the  face  of  the 
fact  that  I  had  heretofore  tried  to  keep  him  off 
the  papers  and  magazines  lying  there,  he  de- 
cided that  it  was  suspicious.  He  flew  so  as 
almost  to  touch  the  stick,  and  hovered  before  it 
to  snatch  off  the  candy  placed  there ;  but  alight 
on  it  he  would  not,  and  did  not,  though  I  kept 
it  in  place  a  week. 

In  many  ways  this  bird  was  wise ;  he  knew 
exactly  where  to  deliver  his  blows  to  effect 
what  he  desired.  A  cage -door  being  fastened 
with  fine  wire,  he  never  wasted  a  stroke  upon 
the  door,  but  gave  telling  blows  directly  upon 
the  wire.  A  rubber  band  was  looped  about 
a  rod  for  him  to  play  with,  in  the  expectation 
that  he  would  pull  on  it  and  make  sport ;  but  he 
disappointed  us  all  by  hammering  at  the  loop, 
until  he  loosened  it  and  easily  pulled  it  off. 
Again  it  was  tied  on  with  strong  linen  thread ; 
he  turned  his  whole  attention  to  the  knot  of  the 
latter,  till  it  yielded  and  was  disposed  of  also. 

Dear  as  was  this  bird,  he  was  a  more  than 
usually  troublesome  pet.  My  desk  became  his 
favorite  playground,  and  havoc  indeed  he  made 
with  the  things  upon  it ;  snatching  and  running 
off  with  paper,  pen,  or  any  small  object,  destroy- 
ing boxes  and  injuring  books.  Finally,  in  self- 


MISCHIEF  ON  THE  DESK.  197 

defense,  I  adopted  the  plan  of  laying  over  it 
every  morning  a  woolen  cloth,  which  must  be 
lifted  every  time  anything  was  taken  from  the 
desk.  This  arrangement  did  not  please  my 
small  friend  in  blue,  and  he  took  pains  to  ex- 
press his  displeasure  in  the  most  emphatic  way. 
He  came  down  upon  the  cover,  tramped  all  over 
it,  and  sought  small  holes  in  it  through  which  to 
thrust  his  bill.  One  day  he  was  busily  engaged 
in  hammering  a  book  through  an  opening,  and 
to  cure  him  of  the  trick  I  slipped  my  hand 
under,  caught  his  beak  between  two  fingers,  and 
held  it  a  moment.  This  amazed  but  did  not 
alarm  the  bird ;  on  the  contrary,  he  plainly  de- 
cided to  persevere  till  he  found  out  the  secret. 
He  pecked  the  mounds  made  by  my  fingers  ;  he 
stooped  and  looked  into  the  hole,  and  then 
probed  again.  This  time  I  held  him  longer, 
so  that  he  had  to  struggle  and  beat  his  wings 
to  get  away,  and  then  he  walked  off  indig- 
nantly. Still  he  was  not  satisfied  about  that 
mystery,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  back  again, 
trying  in  new  ways  to  penetrate  it.  I  was 
tired  before  he  was.  He  was  baffled  only 
temporarily ;  he  soon  learned  to  draw  up  the 
fabric,  hold  the  slack  under  one  foot  while  he 
pulled  it  still  further,  and  thus  soon  reach  any- 
thing he  desired. 

The  blue-jay  always  pried  into  packages  by 


198    FLYING  AWAY  WITH  THE  PHOTOGRAPH. 

pecking  a  hole  in  the  wrapper  and  examining 
the  contents  through  that;  and  boxes  he  opened 
by  delivering  upward  blows  under  the  edge  of 
the  cover.  The  waste-basket  he  nearly  emptied 
from  the  outside  by  dragging  papers  through 
the  openings  in  the  weaving.  Seeing  two  or 
three  unmounted  photographs  put  into  a  book, 
he  went  speedily  for  that  volume,  thrust  his 
beak  into  the  slight  opening  made  by  the  pic- 
tures, and  pulled  them  out,  flying  at  once  across 
the  room  with  one  in  his  mouth.  It  was  se- 
cured and  put  back,  and  the  book  held  down 
by  a  heavy  weight ;  but  he  found  the  place  at 
once,  and  repeated  the  naughtiness.  The  book 
had  to  be  completely  covered  up  before  the 
photographs  were  safe. 

After  the  blue-jay  had  put  on  a  new  suit 
of  feathers  he  flew  with  great  ease,  and  selected 
for  a  retreat  the  top  of  a  door  into  the  passage- 
way mentioned,  which  usually  stood  open.  It 
was  not  long  before  his  curiosity  was  roused  to 
know  what  was  outside  the  door  that  so  often 
swallowed  up  his  friends,  —  that  into  the  hall. 
He  resolved  to  find  out,  and  to  .that  end,  when 
stationed  on  the  elevated  perch  of  his  choice, 
held  himself  in  readiness,  upon  the  exit  of  any 
one,  to  fly  out.  He  did  not  wish  to  get  away ; 
he  merely  took  a  turn  in  the  hall,  and  came 
back ;  and  once,  when  accidentally  left  in  that 


BIRDS  NO  SOCIETY  FOR  HIM.  199 

unfamiliar  place,  he  stayed  in  the  bath-room, 
with  window  wide  open,  for  half  an  hour  be- 
fore he  was  found.  He  became  so  expert  in 
flying  out  of  the  door  that  it  was  a  difficult 
matter  to  pass  through  without  his  company  ; 
we  had  to  train  ourselves  in  sleight-of-hand 
to  outwit  him.  There  were  two  ways  of  get- 
ting the  better  of  him ;  mere  suddenness  was  of 
no  use,  —  he  was  much  quicker  than  we  were. 
One  way  was  to  go  to  the  room  on  the  other 
side  of  the  passage,  where  he  was  sure  to  fol- 
low, and  before  he  fairly  settled  there,  to  dodge 
back  and  shut  the  door,  —  a  proceeding  so  un- 
expected that  he  never  learned  to  allow  for 
it.  The  other  way  was  to  go  to  the  hall- 
door  as  if  intending  to  open  it;  instantly  the 
bird  swooped  down,  ready  to  slip  out  also, 
but  finding  the  way  closed,  swept  around  the 
room  and  alighted  somewhere.  This  was  the 
second  to  open  the  door  and  step  out,  for  he 
always  paused  a  moment  before  flying  again. 

The  only  notice  the  jay  ever  took  of  the 
birds,  as  said  above,  was  to  tease  them,  or  put 
them  in  a  flutter ;  as  society  he  plainly  despised 
them.  They  soon  learned  to  regard  him  as  a 
sort  of  infernal  machine,  liable  at  any  moment 
to  explode  ;  and  they  were  fully  justified,  for 
he  was  fond  of  surprising  them  by  unexpectedly 
flying  around  the  room,  tail  spread,  feathers 


200  FUN   WITH  A  GRASSHOPPER. 

rustling,  squawking  madly  in  a  loud  voice.  He 
usually  managed  in  his  career  to  sweep  close* 
over  the  head  of  every  bird,  of  course  frighten- 
ing them  off  their  perches,  and  thus  to  put  the 
whole  room  into  a  panic.  They  took  refuge 
anywhere,  —  under  the  bed,  behind  the  chairs, 
against  the  wires,  and  on  the  floor,  —  while  the 
mischief-maker  circled  around,  filling  the  air 
with  shrieks,  then  suddenly  dropped  to  the 
round  of  a  chair  and  calmly  dressed  his  feath- 
ers, as  if  he  had  merely  been  exercising  his 
wings. 

Poor  little  fellow  !  he  was  hardly  more  than 
a  baby,  and  not  very  brave.  A  big  grasshopper 
which  once  got  into  the  room  afforded  him 
great  excitement  and  the  spectators  much 
amusement.  He  saw  it  before  his  cage  was 
opened,  and  as  soon  as  he  came  out  he  went 
after  it.  The  insect  hopped  up  three  feet,  and 
so  startled  the  bird  that  he  jumped  almost  as 
high.  When  it  alighted  he  picked  it  up,  bat 
seeming  not  to  know  what  to  do  with  it,  soon 
dropped  it.  Again  it  hopped,  and  again  the 
jay  repeated  his  bound ;  and  this  performance 
went  on  for  some  minutes,  one  of  the  drollest  of 
sights,  —  his  cautious  approach,  the  spring  of 
the  insect,  and  his  instant  copy  of  the  same,  as 
if  in  emulation.  After  being  picked  up  several 
times  the  grasshopper  was  disabled  ;  then  when 


AFRAID  OF  A  TREE.  201 

the  bird  came  near,  it  lifted  its  wings,  plainly 
to  scare  its  persecutor ;  it  did  awe  him.  Mean- 
while an  orchard  oriole  had  been  eagerly  look- 
ing on,  and  on  one  occasion  that  the  grasshopper 
was  dropped  he  pounced  upon  it  and  carried  it 
off  to  a  chair,  where  he  proceeded  to  eat  it, 
though  it  was  so  big  as  to  be  almost  unmanage- 
able. The  jay  did  not  like  being  deprived  of 
his  plaything.  He  ran  after  the  thief,  and 
stood  on  the  floor,  uttering  a  low  cry  while 
watching  the  operation.  In  the  oriole's  moving 
the  clumsy  insect  fell  to  the  floor,  when  the  jay 
snatched  it ;  and  it  was  evident  that  he  had  got 
a  new  idea  about  its  use,  for  he  carried  it  under 
a  chair  and  demolished  it  completely,  —  not 
even  a  wing  remained. 

More  disturbing  to  the  jay,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  was  a  tree.  It  was  really  touching  to  see 
a  bird  afraid  of  this,  but  the  poor  youngster  had 
been  taken  from  the  nest  to  a  house.  A  Christ- 
mas tree  was  brought  into  the  bird-room  to 
please  the  residents  there,  when,  to  our  amaze- 
ment, the  jay  went  into  a  wild  fright,  flew 
madly  around  near  the  ceiling,  squawking,  and 
making  the  other  birds  think  something  terri- 
ble had  happened.  He  flew  till  he  was  breath- 
less, and  was  evidently  very  much  distressed. 
For  three  or  four  days  he  was  equally  alarmed 
the  moment  he  caught  sight  of  it  in  the  morn- 


202  HIDING   THE  LEAVES. 

ing  and  whenever  I  moved  it  an  inch,  though 
the  other  birds  liked  it  and  were  on  it  half  the 
time.  When  he  did  get  used  to  it  he  did  not 
go  upon  it,  but  to  the  standard  below,  where 
he  could  pick  the  needle-like  leaves  and  carry 
them  off  to  hide  about  the  room. 

The  blue-jay  took  his  bath  in  an  original  way 
as  he  did  everything  else.  First,  he  stood  be- 
side the  wide,  shallow  dish,  looked  at  it,  then 
at  me  and  all  around  the  room,  one  wing  droop- 
ing and  the  other  laid  jauntily  over  the  back, 
while  he  talked  in  a  low  tone,  as  if  he  said,  "  If 
anybody  is  going  to  object,  now  is  the  time." 
No  one  ventured  to  dispute  his  right,  and  sud- 
denly he  plumped  into  the  middle,  neither 
alighting  on  the  edge  nor  testing  the  water. 
Then  there  was  a  lively  frolic,  with  tail  spread, 
crest  raised,  wings  beating,  and  the  water  flying 
several  feet  around.  He  was  a  very  beautiful 
bird  when  in  perfect  plumage.  There  were  six 
distinct  shades  of  blue,  besides  rich  velvety 
black,  snowy  white,  delicate  dove  color,  and 
blue-gray.  He  is  too  well  known  to  need  de- 
scription, but  a  jay  is  not  often  so  closely  seen 
when  alive  and  in  perfection  of  plumage.  This 
bird  had  a  charming  way  of  folding  his  wings 
that  hid  all  the  plain  blue-gray.  When  held 
thus  and  laid  together  over  the  back,  there  were 
displayed  first  the  beautiful  tail,  with  broad 


BEAUTIFUL  DRESS.  203 

white  edges  to  the  feathers ;  above  it  the  wings 
looking  like  a  square  cut  mantle,  of  the  same 
colors ;  above  this  a  deep  pointed  shoulder  cape, 
of  rich  violet  blue,  the  feathers  fluffed  up 
loosely;  and  at  the  top  of  all,  his  exquisite 
crest. 


VIRGINIA'S  WOOING. 


For  who  the  pleasure  of  the  spring  shall  tell, 
When  on  the  leafless  stalk  the  brown  buds  swell, 
When  the  grass  brightens  and  the  days  grow  long, 
And  little  birds  break  out  in  rippling  song. 

CBLIA  THAXTEB. 


XII. 

VIRGINIA'S  WOOING. 


You  must  know  in  the  beginning  that  Vir- 
ginia wore  feathers.  But  she  had  as  many  tri- 
als with  her  suitors  as  though  she  dressed  in 
silks,  and  she  displayed  so  much  of  what  we 
call  "human  nature  "  that  her  story  is  as  inter- 
esting as  that  of  half  the  Ethels  and  Margue- 
rites of  the  romances. 

She  came  of  a  good  old  family,  the  Cardinals, 
and,  belonging  to  the  Virginia  branch,  was 
called  properly  Virginia  Cardinal,  or,  in  scien- 
tific fashion,  Cardinalis  Virginianus.  She  was 
a  beauty,  too.  It  is  well  known  that  the  cardi- 
nal himself  has  a  full  suit  of  the  most  brilliant 
red,  but  it  is  not  so  familiar  a  fact  that  the 
dames  of  the  tribe  are  more  modest  and  wear 
the  family  colors  simply  as  linings  and  in  sub- 
dued tints :  rich  rose-colored  wing-facings,  light 
coral-hued  beak,  delicate  pink  crest,  all  toned 
down  by  the  soft  olive  brown  of  the  breast  and 
back,  over  which  is  everywhere  a  lovely  sugges- 
tion of  red. 


208  HER  FIRST  ADMIRER. 

The  home  of  Virginia,  when  she  came  to  the 
bird-room,  was  a  large  cage  by  the  window; 
that  of  the  cardinal  being  next  to  it,  equally 
commodious,  but  a  little  farther  from  the  light. 
This  personage,  her  first  admirer,  made  the 
mistake  that  larger  suitors  sometimes  fall  into, 
with  equally  disastrous  results,  —  he  u  took 
things  for  granted."  Between  the  cages  was  a 
door,  but,  to  try  the  temper  of  the  birds,  it  was 
at  first  closed.  The  cardinal  was  evidently 
pleased  with  his  lovely  neighbor ;  he  went  as 
near  to  her  as  he  could  get,  and  uttered  some 
low  remarks,  to  which  she  listened,  but  did  not 
reply.  Later,  when  a  meal-worm  was  given  to 
him,  he  did  not  eat  it,  but  held  it  in  his  beak, 
hopped  over  to  her  side,  tried  to  get  through 
the  wires,  and  plainly  thought  of  offering  it  to 
her.  His  disposition  appearing  so  friendly,  a 
human  hand  interposed  and  opened  the  door. 
Instantly  he  went  into  her  cage,  and  apparently 
thinking  better  of  the  intended  offering  he  ate 
it  himself,  and  proceeded  to  investigate  her  food- 
dishes  and  try  the  seed,  then  hopped  back  and 
forth  between  the  two  cages,  and  at  last  selected 
the  perch  he  preferred  and  took  possession.  He 
paid  no  attention  to  her  in  the  way  of  recogniz- 
ing her  ownership,  which  he  would  naturally 
do  to  another  bird  ;  he  assumed  that  whatever 
belonged  to  the  cardinal  family  belonged  to 


A  MIND  OF  HER  OWN.  209 

him ;  perhaps  he  even  thought  she  went  with 
the  house,  —  it  certainly  looked  as  though  he 
did. 

But  the  little  dame  had  a  mind  of  her  own. 
On  his  first  intrusion  she  vacated  her  home 
and  passed  into  his.  When  he  appeared  in  his 
cage  she  quietly  hopped  back;  on  his  return 
she  changed  cages  with  equal  alacrity ;  when 
he  settled  himself  on  her  perch,  she  was  quite 
contented  on  his.  There  was  no  dispute,  no 
warfare ;  she  simply  said,  in  manner,  "  All 
right,  my  friend,  select  your  abode,  and  I  '11 
take  the  other.  I  'm  satisfied  with  either,  but  I 
intend  to  have  it  to  myself."  After  awhile  it 
seemed  to  strike  his  lordship  that  she  avoided 
him,  and  he  resolved  to  settle  that  matter  ;  here 
making  his  second  mistake,  in  trying  to  force 
instead  of  to  win.  He  entered  the  cage  where 
she  sat  quietly,  and  flew  at  her.  She  dodged 
him  and  took  refuge  in  the  other  apartment ; 
he  followed ;  and  thus  they  rushed  back  and 
forth  several  times,  till  she  stopped  for  breath 
on  a  lower  perch,  while  he  was  on  an  upper 
one  in  the  same  cage.  Then  he  leaned  far 
over  and  fixed  his  eyes  on  her,  crest  raised  to 
its  greatest  height,  wings  held  slightly  out,  and 
addressed  her  in  a  very  low  but  distinct  song, 
which  resembled  the  syllables  "  cur-dle-e !  cur- 
dle-e  !  cr-r-r  "  ;  the  latter  sounding  almost  like 


210  VIOLENT   WOOING. 

a  cat's  purr.  After  singing  this  several  times, 
and  being  slighted  by  her  leaving  the  cage,  he 
laid  his  crest  flat  down,  muttered  something  so 
low  that  it  could  not  be  noted,  and  looked 
very  much  put  out.  Soon,  however,  he  shook 
his  feathers  violently,  flung  himself  at  her,  and 
she  dodged,  as  before.  When  both  happened 
to  be  for  a  moment  in  their  own  cages,  the  door 
\vas  suddenly  closed  between,  and  each  had  his 
own,  as  at  first.  Madam  was  delighted,  but 
the  cardinal  resented  it ;  he  tried  to  remove 
the  obnoxious  barrier,  pecked  at  it,  shook  it, 
and  could  not  be  reconciled.  He  grew  hungry 
and  was  obliged  to  eat,  but  between  every  two 
seeds  he  returned  to  struggle  with  the  bars  that 
kept  him  from  her.  Meanwhile  Virginia  had 
apparently  forgotten  all  about  him,  eating  and 
making  her  toilet  for  the  night,  as  cheerful  as 
usual. 

The  next  morning,  the  outside  doors  of  the 
two  cages  were  opened,  and  both  birds  at  once 
came  out  into  the  room.  The  cardinal,  not  yet 
over  his  tiff  of  the  evening  before,  took  wing 
for  the  trees  outside  the  windows,  and  brought 
up,  of  course,  against  the  glass.  He  was 
greatly  disappointed.  He  alighted  on  top  of 
the  lower  sash,  tested,  examined,  and  tried  to 
solve  the  mystery.  Virginia,  too,  tried  to  go 
through  the  pane,  but  learned  in  one  lesson  that 


HE    WAS  "NOT  RECEIVING."  211 

it  was  useless.  She  did  not  care  much  about 
it  any  way,  for  she  was  perfectly  contented  in- 
side. She  went  around  the  room,  hovering 
slowly  under  the  ceiling,  which  is  always  of 
interest  to  birds,  and  then  set  herself  to  work 
in  a  most  systematic  manner  to  find  out  all 
about  the  new  world  she  was  in.  She  examined 
the  outside  perches  and  tried  each  one ;  she 
explored  the  bathing  table,  flirted  out  a  little 
water  from  the  dishes,  and  at  last  thought  it 
time  to  make  acquaintance  with  her  neighbors. 
She  began  with  the  robin,  and  flew  to  his 
roof.  The  robin  was  not  pleased,  snapped  at  her, 
opened  his  mouth,  uttered  a  queer  low  robin-cry, 
"  seep,"  and  pecked  at  her  feet,  while  she  stood 
quietly  looking  down  at  the  show  from  above, 
as  much  interested  as  though  it  were  arranged 
to  amuse  her.  At  length  she  began  to  make 
the  more  formal  visit.  She  dropped  to  the 
door-perch  and  approached  the  entrance.  The 
inhospitable  owner  met  her  there,  not  to  wel- 
come and  invite  her  in,  but  to  warn  her  out ! 
He  lowered  his  head,  opened  his  beak,  and 
bowed  to  her,  looking  very  wicked  indeed.  It 
was  plain  that  he  was  "not  receiving"  that 
morning.  But  Virginia  had  come  to  call,  and 
call  she  would.  Nothing  daunted  by  his  cool- 
ness, she  hopped  in.  The  robin  was  amazed ; 
then  declared  war  in  his  peculiar  way,  —  first  a 


212  THE  ROBIN  DECLARES   WAR. 

hop  of  six  inches,  with  wings  spread,  then  a 
savage  clatter  of  the  bill.  His  guest  met  this 
demonstration  quite  calmly.  She  lowered  her 
head,  to  defend  herself  if  necessary,  but  made 
no  other  movement.  Her  calmness  filled  the 
robin  with  horror;  he  fled  the  cage.  Then  she 
went  all  over  it,  and  satisfied  herself  that  it 
was  much  like  her  own,  only  the  food-dish  waa 
filled  with  some  uneatable  black  stuff,  instead 
of  the  vegetarian  food  she  preferred.  She  soon 
departed. 

Meanwhile  the  cardinal  was  wasting  his  time 
over  the  window  problem,  touching  the  glass 
with  his  beak,  flying  up  a  few  inches  before 
it,  gently  tapping  the  pane  as  he  went.  It  was 
two  or  three  days  before  he  made  up  his  mind 
he  could  not  get  through.  After  that  he  was 
as  indifferent  to  the  outside  as  any  bird  in  the 
room,  and  turned  his  attention  once  more  to 
Virginia.  Whenever  they  were  in  their  cages, 
with  the  door  open  between,  he  assumed  the 
lord-and-mastership  of  the  two  ;  he  drove  her 
away  from  her  own  food -cups,  usurped  her 
perch  and  her  cage,  and  made  himself  disagree- 
able generally.  Finally,  one  day  when  she  was 
sitting  quietly  on  the  upper  perch  of  his  deserted 
cage,  he  came  into  the  same  cage,  and,  resting 
on  the  low  perch  close  to  the  door,  his  tail 
hanging  outside,  began  a  low  call,  a  curious 


VIRGINIA   GROWS   UNEASY.  213 

sort  of  "  e-up,"  with  a  jerk  on  the  second  syl- 
lable. Though  a  common  enough  sound  for  a 
cardinal,  this  plainly  meant  more  than  was  ap- 
parent to  human  spectators.  Virginia  at  once 
grew  uneasy,  hopped  across  the  upper  perches, 
and  when  her  nervousness  became  too  great 
dashed  down  past  him,  though  he  was  partly  in 
the  doorway,  and  into  her  own  cage,  where  she 
resumed  her  restless  jumps.  He  was  not  pleased 
with  her  reception  of  his  attentions  ;  he  sat  a 
long  time  in  that  attitude,  perfectly  still,  per- 
haps meditating  what  step  he  should  take  next, 
glancing  at  her  meanwhile  over  his  shoulder, 
but  not  stirring  a  feather.  Time  passed,  and 
he  came  to  a  decision  of  some  sort,  which  was 
shown  by  a  change  of  position.  He  turned 
around,  and  took  his  seat  on  the  corresponding 
perch  in  her  cage,  just  before  the  door.  This 
impressed  Virginia ;  she  stopped  her  hopping 
and  looked  over  at  him  with  an  air  of  wonder- 
ing what  he  would  do  next.  What  hs  did  was 
to  hop  one  step  nearer,  to  the  middle  perch. 
Upon  this  she  abandoned  her  place,  came  to 
the  floor,  and  began  to  eat  in  the  most  indiffer- 
ent manner ;  then  passed  into  his  cage,  then 
back  to  the  floor  of  her  own,  still  eating,  while 
he  sat  silent  and  motionless  on  the  middle 
perch,  evidently  much  disturbed  by  her  con- 
duct. After  an  hour  of  this  performance  he 
retired  to  her  upper  perch,  and  stayed  there. 


214  JEALOUSY  AROUSED. 

The  same  day,  the  jealousy  of  the  unsuccess- 
ful wooer  was  aroused  by  a  fine,  fresh-looking 
cardinal  whom  he  saw  in  the  looking-glass.  In 
flying  past  it  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  reflec- 
tion, and  at  once  turned,  alighted  before  it,  and 
began  calling  vehemently;  holding  out,  and 
quivering  his  wings,  and  flying  up  against  the 
figure  again  and  again  in  the  most  savage  way. 
The  next  day  he  began  to  mope  and  refused 
to  come  out  of  the  cage ;  whether  because  of 
illness,  or  disappointed  affections,  who  shall 
say? 

The  time  of  her  tormentor's  retirement  was 
one  of  great  happiness  to  Virginia.  She  paid 
her  usual  visit  to  the  robin,  and  he,  as  at  first, 
vacated  the  cage,  this  having  become  the  reg- 
ular morning  programme.  Now,  too,  she  went 
on  to  extend  her  acquaintance  by  entering  the 
cage  of  another  neighbor,  a  scarlet  tanager,  a 
shy,  unobtrusive  fellow,  who  asked  nothing  but 
to  be  let  alone.  This  bird  also  did  not  re- 
ciprocate her  neighborly  sentiments ;  he  met 
her  with  open  beak,  but  finding  that  did  not 
awe  her,  nor  prevent  her  calmly  walking  in,  he 
hastily  left  the  cage  himself.  During  the  time 
that  her  persecutor  was  sulking,  and  not  likely 
to  bother,  she  had  leisure  for  the  bath,  which 
she  enjoyed  freely,  coming  out  with  her  long 
breast  -  feathers  hanging  in  locks  and  looking 


VISITING  THE  ORIOLES.  215 

like  a  bundle  of  rags.  Her  last  experimental 
call  was  now  made  upon  another  household,  the 
Baltimore  orioles,  and  there  she  met  with  some- 
thing new  —  perfect  indifference.  Even  when 
both  of  the  birds  were  at  home  they  did  not 
resent  her  coming  in.  She  went  to  the  upper 
perch  with  them ;  the  cage  was  big,  there  was 
plenty  of  room,  and  they  were  willing.  Their 
manners,  in  fact,  were  so  agreeable  that  if 
their  cups  had  been  supplied  with  seed,  I  think 
she  would  have  taken  up  her  abode  with  them  ; 
as  it  was,  she  frequently  spent  half  an  hour  at 
a  time  there.  On  this  eventful  day  Virginia  be- 
gan to  sing,  for  in  her  family  the  musical  per- 
formances are  not  confined  to  the  males. 

After  several  days  of  retirement,  the  cardinal 
plucked  up  spirit  to  resume  his  annoyance  of 
Virginia,  and  for  a  few  nights  a  queer  sort  of 
game  was  played  by  the  two,  explain  it  who 
can.  If  the  barrier  between  the  cages  was  re- 
moved after  the  outside  doors  were  shut  for  the 
night,  he  at  once  went  to  her  cage  and  to  the 
middle  perch.  Virginia,  on  the  upper  perch, 
waited  till  he  reached  that  spot,  then  dropped 
to  the  floor,  slipped  through  the  door  into  his 
cage,  and  went  to  the  upper  perches  there, 
where  she  hopped  back  and  forth,  while  he 
did  the  same  in  her  cage.  Suddenly,  after  a 
few  moments,  down  he  came  again  through  the 


216  DEATH  OF  THE  PERSECUTOR. 

door  to  his  own  middle  perch,  when  instantly, 
as  before,  she  retreated  into  her  cage.  Thus 
they  went  on  an  hour  at  a  time ;  he  apparently 
following  her  from  one  cage  to  another,  and  she 
declining  to  occupy  the  same  apartment  with 
him.  Occasionally  it  was  not  so  calm ;  he  lost 
his  temper,  or  grew  tired  of  trying  to  please ; 
once  or  twice,  without  warning,  he  lowered  his 
head,  looked  ugly,  and  fairly  burst  into  her  cage 
and  flung  himself  at  her.  She  dived  under  or 
bounded  over  a  perch,  any  way  to  escape  him, 
and  took  refuge  in  the  other  cage. 

This  could  not  go  on  long ;  the  cardinal  lost 
interest  in  everything,  took  to  moping,  and  at 
last  died,  —  disappointed  affection,  shall  we  say, 
or  what  ?  Virginia  was  relieved  ;  she  sang 
more  and  in  a  louder  tone,  hopping  around 
her  cage  with  a  seed  in  her  mouth,  flying 
through  the  room,  or  splashing  in  the  bath ;  in 
fact  she  was  bubbling  over  with  song  all  the 
time,  as  if  she  were  so  happy  she  could  not 
keep  still.  She  paid  her  daily  visits  to  the 
cages,  forcing  the  robin  to  take  an  outing, 
which  he  did  not  care  to  do  while  moulting 
and  not  very  sure  of  his  powers. 

Many  birds  show  emotions  by  raising  the 
feathers  on  different  parts  of  the  body,  but 
this  bird  was  remarkable  in  the  expression  of 
her  crest  alone.  When  she  peeped  into  a 


ARRIVAL  OF  A  STRANGER.  217 

strange  cage,  and  was  somewhat  uncertain  of 
her  reception,  the  crest  laid  flat  down,  her  very 
head  seemed  to  shrink;  she  stepped  in  at  the 
door,  excited,  for  it  might  be  peace  and  it  might 
be  war  ;  the  feathers  rose  and  fell  alternately ; 
if  suddenly  startled,  the  crest  sprang  to  its  high- 
est point ;  and  when  singing,  or  passing  peace- 
fully about  the  room,  it  dropped  carelessly  back 
on  her  head. 

Virginia  was  allowed  a  week's  solitary  enjoy- 
ment of  the  two  cages,  and  then  one  day  a  new 
tenant  appeared  in  the  cardinal's  quarters.  She 
was  out  in  the  room  when  he  arrived,  but  she 
instantly  came  over  and  alighted  on  his  roof,  to 
have  a  look  at  him.  Most  expressive  was  her 
manner.  She  stood  in  silence  and  gazed  upon 
him  a  long  time ;  all  her  liveliness  and  gayety 
were  gone,  and  she  appeared  to  be  struck  dumb 
by  this  new  complication  of  her  affairs.  It  was 
plain  that  she  was  not  pleased.  Perhaps  her 
dislike  was  evident  to  the  new  bird,  for  sud- 
denly he  flew  up  and  snapped  at  her,  which 
so  surprised  her  that  she  hopped  a  foot  into 
the  air.  When  the  time  came  to  open  the  door 
into  her  cage,  the  stranger  was  delighted  to  go 
in,  but  Virginia  dodged  him,  exactly  as  she 
had  done  his  predecessor.  He  did  not  lose 
his  temper  and  condescend  to  the  vulgarity  of 
flying  at  her,  as  the  first  admirer  had  done. 


218  VIRGINIA   WAS  LONELY. 

He  looked  interested  to  see  that  she  avoided 
him,  but  after  all  he  did  not  take  it  much  to 
heart.  This  cardinal,  like  the  other,  was  not 
yet  acclimated  —  if  one  may  call  it  so — to  life 
in  a  house,  and  after  a  week  he  also  took  his 
departure. 

Now  Virginia,  free  again,  became  at  once 
very  gay.  She  sang  all  the  time;  she  kept 
the  robin  stirring;  she  bathed  ;  she  waxed  fat. 
But  her  time  was  approaching.  Spring  came 
on,  and  with  the  first  warm  weather  the  birds 
began  to  disappear  from  the  room.  First  the 
tanager  expressed  a  desire  to  mingle  with  so- 
ciety once  more,  and  went  his  way ;  then  the 
orioles  were  sent  to  carry  on  their  rough  woo- 
ing in  the  big  world  outside;  the  robin  fol- 
lowed ;  and  at  last  Virginia  was  left  with  sev- 
eral big  empty  cages  and  only  two  birds,  a  re- 
served and  solitude-loving  Mexican  clarin,  and 
a  saucy  goldfinch,  so  long  a  captive  that  he  had 
no  desire  for  freedom.  Now  for  the  first  time 
Virginia  was  lonely ;  the  strange  quiet  of  the 
once  lively  room  worked  upon  her  temper.  She 
snapped  at  her  little  neighbor ;  she  haunted  the 
window-sill  and  gazed  out ;  while  nothing  hin- 
dered her  passage  excepting  the  weather,  our 
climate  being  rather  cool  for  her. 

At  last  July,  with  its  great  heat,  arrived,  and 
the  restless  bird  was  carried  by  a  kind  friend, 


TEE  THIRD  SUITOR.  219 

who  offered  to  do  this  good  deed,  to  a  place 
in  Central  Park,  New  York,  where  a  small 
colony  of  her  kind  have  established  them- 
selves and  build  and  nest  every  year.  Here 
she  was  set  free,  and  here  she  met  her  third 
suitor.  The  place  and  the  season  were  propi- 
tious, and  Virginia  was  ready  to  look  with 
favor  on  a  smart  young  cardinal  in  the  bright- 
est of  coats,  who  came  in  response  to  her  calls 
the  moment  she  found  herself  on  a  tree,  really 
out  in  the  world.  A  little  coaxing,  a  few  tender 
words,  and  she  flew  away  with  him,  and  we  saw 
her  no  more. 


FRIENDSHIP  IN  FEATHERS. 


Why  should  I  cumber  myself  with  regrets  that  the  receiver 
is  not  capacious  ?  It  never  troubles  the  sun  that  some  of  his 
rays  fall  wide  and  vain  into  ungrateful  space,  and  only  a  small 
part  on  the  reflecting  planet.  EMEKSON. 


XIII. 
FRIENDSHIP  IN   FEATHERS. 


EMERSON  somewhere  speaks  of  a  friendship 
"on  one  side,  without  due  correspondence  on 
the  other,"  and  I  often  thought  of  it  while 
watching  the  curious  relation  between  two 
birds  in  my  house  last  winter ;  for  the  more 
one  studies  our  feathered  neighbors,  the  better 
he  comes  to  realize  that  the  difference  between 
their  intelligence  and  that  of  man  himself  is 
"  only  of  less  and  more." 

This  friendship,  then,  was  all  on  one  side.  It 
was  not  a  case  of  "  love  at  sight  "  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  was  first  war,  and  the  birds  had  been 
room-mates  for  months  before  any  unusual 
interest  was  shown ;  neither  was  it  simple  ad- 
miration of  beauty,  for  the  recipient  of  the 
tenderness  was  at  his  worst  at  the  moment ; 
nor,  again,  could  it  be  the  necessity  of  loving 
somebody,  for  the  devotee  had  lived  in  the 
house  ten  years,  and  had  seen  forty  birds  of 
almost  as  many  kinds  come  and  go,  without 


224  HIS  MARRIAGE  DRESS. 

exhibiting  any  partiality.  The  parties  to  this 
curious  affair  were,  first,  the  beloved,  a  male 
scarlet  tanager,  whose  summer  coat  was  disfig- 
ured with  patches  of  the  winter  dress  he  was 
trying  to  put  on ;  and  secondly,  the  lover,  a 
male  English  goldfinch,  scarcely  half  his  size. 
The  tanager,  as  perhaps  every  one  knows,  is 
one  of  our  most  brilliant  birds,  bright  scarlet 
with  black  wings  and  tail.  He  is  as  shy  as  he 
is  gay,  living  usually  in  the  woods,  and  not 
taking  at  all  kindly  to  the  enforced  companion- 
ship of  mankind.  I  had  long  been  anxious  to 
make  the  acquaintance  of  this  retiring  bird, 
partly  because  I  desire  to  know  personally  all 
American  birds,  and  partly  because  I  wanted 
to  watch  his  change  of  plumage ;  for  the  scarlet 
uniform  is  only  the  marriage  dress,  and  put  off 
at  the  end  of  the  season.  Hence  whenever  I 
saw  a  tanager  in  a  New  York  bird  store  I 
brought  it  home,  though  dealers  always  warned 
me  that  it  would  not  live  in  confinement.  My 
first  attempts  were  disastrous,  certainly.  The 
birds  refused  to  become  reconciled,  even  with 
all  the  privileges  I  gave  them,  and  one  after 
another  died,  I  believe  for  no  other  reason  than 
their  longing  for  freedom.  Let  me  say  here 
that  feeling  thus,  they  would  have  received 
their  liberty,  much  as  I  wished  to  study  them, 
only  their  plumage  was  not  in  condition  to  fly, 


THE  TANAGER  ASTONISHED.       225 

and  they  would  go  out  to  certain  death.  My 
hope  was  to  make  them  contented  through  the 
winter,  while  they  put  on  a  new  suit  of  feath- 
ers, and  open  the  doors  for  them  in  summer. 

The  subject  of  this  tale,  and  the  last  of  the 
series,  I  procured  of  a  dealer  who  has  learned 
to  keep  tanagers  in  good  condition,  and  I  never 
had  trouble  with  this  bird's  health  or  spirits. 
It  was  not  until  May  that  he  wished  to  leave 
me.  When  he  joined  the  circle  in  the  room  he 
had  just  thoroughly  learned  that  a  cage  was  a 
place  he  could  not  get  out  of,  and  he  had  ceased 
to  try.  The  first  morning  when  his  neighbors 
came  out  of  their  cages  he  was  as  much  aston- 
ished as  if  he  had  never  seen  birds  out  of  a 
bird  store.  He  stretched  up  and  looked  at 
them  with  the  greatest  interest.  When  one 
or  two  began  to  splash  in  the  large  shallow 
bathing  dishes  on  the  table,  he  was  much 
excited,  and  plainly  desired  to  join  them.  I 
opened  his  door  and  placed  in  it  a  long  perch 
leading  to  freedom.  For  some  time  he  did  not 
come  out,  and  when  he  did,  the  sudden  liberty 
drove  out  of  his  head  all  thoughts  of  a  bath. 
When  he  flew,  he  aimed  straight  for  the  trees 
outside  the  window,  and  of  course  came  vio- 
lently against  the  glass. 

This  experience  all  house  birds  have  to  go 
through,  and  it  is  sometimes  several  days  before 


226     TEE  PROBLEM  OF  THE  GLASS. 

they  learn  the  nature  of  glass.  The  tanager 
learned  his  lesson  more  quickly.  He  fell  to  the 
floor  at  first,  from  the  shock,  but  in  a  few 
moments  recovered  himself  and  returned,  this 
time  alighting  on  the  top  of  the  lower  sash  and 
proceeding  to  examine  the  strange  substance 
through  which  he  could  see,  but  could  not  go. 
He  gently  tapped  the  glass  with  his  beak  the 
whole  length  of  the  window,  passing  back  and 
forth  several  times  till  satisfied.  Turning  at 
last  from  that,  he  cast  his  eye  around  for  an- 
other exit,  and  settled  on  the  white  ceiling  as 
the  most  likely  place.  Then  he  flew  all  about 
the  room  close  to  the  ceiling,  touched  it  now 
and  then  with  his  beak,  and  finding  it  also  im- 
passable, he  came  down  to  the  window  again. 
He  had  not  the  least  curiosity  about  the  room, 
and  was  not  at  all  afraid  of  me.  The  world 
outside  the  windows  and  his  cage  when  he  was 
hungry,  were  all  that  he  cared  for  at  present 
—  except  the  bath. 

The  goldfinch  was  bathing  the  second  time 
he  came  out,  and  he  went  directly  to  the  table 
and  perched  on  the  side  of  the  dish.  Now  the 
one  thing  the  little  fellow  most  delighted  in  was 
his  morning  bath,  and  he  at  once  resented  the 
intrusion  of  the  stranger.  He  flew  at  him  with 
open  beak  and  lifted  wings,  scolding  vigorously, 
in  fact  gave  him  so  hostile  a  reception  that  he 


GIVING   UP  THE  WORLD.  227 

quickly  retired  to  the  top  of  a  cage,  where  he 
stood  a  long  time.  Afterward  also,  the  gold- 
finch showed  so  strong  a  determination  that 
the  intruder  should  not  enjoy  his  beloved  bath, 
that  at  last  I  had  to  keep  him  in  his  cage  while 
the  new-comer  had  a  chance  at  the  water. 

This  did  not  go  on  long,  however,  for  very 
soon  the  tanager  deliberately  gave  up  the 
world  of  the  bird-room,  and  insisted  on  remain- 
ing in  his  cage.  In  vain  was  his  door  set  open 
with  the  others,  in  vain  did  the  birds  splash 
and  splatter  the  water,  he  would  not  come  out, 
though  he  did  not  mope  or  lose  his  appetite. 
In  truth,  it  seemed  merely  as  if  he  scorned  the 
advantages  offered ;  if  he  could  not  go  out  free 
into  the  trees,  he  would  as  lief  stay  in  his  cage 
—  and  he  did.  This  is  a  not  uncommon  habit 
of  cage  birds.  They  often  need  to  be  driven 
or  coaxed  out.  Having  once  learned  that  the 
cage  is  home  with  all  its  comforts  and  conven- 
iences, they  prefer  to  be  there. 

The  tanager  was  always  a  very  shy  bird  ;  he 
did  not  like  to  be  looked  at.  If  he  could  man- 
age it,  he  would  never  eat  while  any  one  saw 
him.  Often,  when  I  put  a  bit  of  apple  or  a 
meal-worm  in  his  cage,  he  stood  and  looked  at 
it  and  at  me,  but  did  not  move  till  I  turned 
away,  or  walked  out  of  his  sight,  when  he 
instantly  pounced  upon  it  as  if  starved.  To 


228  EATING  BEHIND  A  SCREEN. 

make  him  altogether  happy  I  put  a  screen 
around  one  corner  of  his  cage,  behind  which 
were  his  dishes,  and  after  that  it  was  very  droll 
to  see  him  crouch  behind  that  and  eat,  every 
moment  or  two  stretching  up  to  glance  over  the 
top  and  see  if  I  had  moved.  If  I  stirred  as 
though  about  to  leave  my  chair,  he  at  once 
whisked  to  the  upper  perch  as  if  he  had  been 
caught  in  a  crime. 

The  first  I  noticed  of  the  goldfinch's  friendli- 
ness to  him  was  after  he  had  lived  with  us  five 
or  six  months. 

This  small  bird,  in  a  room  of  larger  ones, 
was  somewhat  driven  about.  I  do  not  mean 
hurt,  but  if  any  one  wanted  a  certain  perch  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  take  it,  even  if  it  were 
already  occupied  by  so  little  a  fellow.  He  soon 
learned  that  near  the  tanager  he  was  not  often 
molested,  and  he  began  first  to  frequent  the 
perch  that  ran  out  of  the  cage  —  the  doorstep 
in  fact.  Finding  that  he  was  not  disturbed,  he 
soon  moved  his  quarters  just  inside  the  door. 
Most  birds  quickly  resent  the  intrusion  of  an- 
other into  their  cage,  but  the  tanager  never  did. 
So  long  as  he  was  left  alone  on  his  favorite 
upper  perches,  he  did  not  care  who  went  in 
below.  This  being  the  case,  after  a  while  the 
goldfinch  ventured  upon  the  middle  perch. 
Still  he  was  not  noticed ;  but  presuming  on  the 


BECOMING  THE  PROTECTOR.  229 

friendly  attitude  of  his  host,  he  one  day  hopped 
upon  the  perch  beside  him.  This  was  a  step 
too  far ;  the  house-owner  turned  an  open  beak 
toward  him,  and  in  unmistakable  tones  told 
him  to  leave  —  which  he  at  once  did,  of  course. 

This  boundary  made  by  the  tanager  was 
never  changed,  but  in  the  rest  of  the  cage  the 
goldfinch  made  himself  at  home,  and  at  once 
assumed  the  position  of  protector.  Seeing  that 
the  owner  did  not,  —  and  sure  it  was  some- 
body's duty,  —  he  began  to  guard  the  door, 
warning  away  any  one  who  wished  to  enter, 
with  harsh  scolding,  fluttering  of  wings,  and 
swelling  up  of  his  little  body,  amusing  to  see. 
The  boldest  bird  in  the  room  was  awed  by 
these  demonstrations  coming  from  the  inside  as 
though  the  cage  were  his  own.  The  tanager 
looked  on  all  this  with  some  interest,  but  ex- 
pressed no  more  gratitude  at  being  protected 
than  he  had  resentment  at  being  driven  from 
the  bath. 

Soon  I  noticed  a  certain  chattering  talk  from 
the  small  bird  that  he  had  never  indulged  in 
excepting  to  another  of  his  kind  —  his  compan- 
ion when  he  first  came  to  me.  It  was  very  low 
but  almost  continuous,  and  was  plainly  ad- 
dressed to  the  tanager.  As  his  friendliness 
progressed,  he  found  the  lower  perch  too  far 
from  his  charmer,  and  not  being  allowed  to  sit 


230  AN  UNCOMFORTABLE  PERCH. 

beside  him  he  took  to  clinging  upon  the  outside 
of  the  cage  as  near  to  the  tanager's  usual  seat 
as  he  could  get.  The  only  perching  place  he 
had  there  was  a  band  of  tin  that  held  the  wires 
steady,  but  in  spite  of  what  must  have  been 
the  discomfort  of  the  position,  there  he  hung  by 
the  hour,  talking,  calling,  and  looking  at  his 
idol  within.  He  left  the  spot  only  to  eat  and 
bathe,  and  I  think  if  the  cage  had  been  sup- 
plied with  seed  he  would  never  have  gone  at 
all.  When  the  bird  inside  hopped  to  the  perch 
at  the  other  end  of  the  cage,  which  was  the 
extent  of  his  wanderings,  the  finch  at  once  fol- 
lowed on  the  outside,  always  placing  himself  as 
near  as  possible.  It  was  really  touching,  to  all 
but  the  object  of  it,  who  took  it  in  the  most 
indifferent  way.  When  the  tanager  went  down 
to  eat,  his  escort  accompanied  him  as  far  as 
the  door  perch,  where  he  stood  and  looked  on 
earnestly,  ready  to  return  to  his  old  place  the 
moment  the  luncheon  was  finished. 

On  the  rare  occasions  that  the  self-elected 
hermit  went  out,  the  goldfinch  displayed  great 
concern,  evidently  preferring  to  have  his  favor- 
ite at  home  where  he  could  defend  him.  He 
flew  uneasily  across  from  the  cage  to  his  side, 
then  back,  as  if  to  show  him  the  way.  He  also 
desired  to  watch  the  empty  house,  to  preserve 
it  from  intrusion,  but  was  constantly  divided 


TOUCHING  AFFECTION.  231 

between  his  duties  of  special  porter,  and  body- 
guard. But  he  did  his  best,  even  then ;  he  fol- 
lowed the  wanderer.  If  the  tanager  went  to  a 
perch  the  goldfinch  at  once  alighted  on  the  same, 
about  a  foot  away,  and  sidled  up  as  near  as  he 
was  allowed.  He  was  free  to  come  within  about 
three  inches,  but  nearer  he  was  driven  off,  so 
the  little  fellow  placed  himself  at  this  distance 
and  there  stayed  patiently  as  long  as  his  friend 
remained.  If  the  latter  had  been  more  respon- 
sive, I  believe  the  goldfinch  would  have  nestled 
up  against  him. 

The  tanager  sometimes  strayed  into  a  strange 
cage,  and  then  the  anxious  guard  followed  to 
the  steps  and  even  within,  talking  earnestly, 
and  no  doubt  pointing  out  the  danger,  yet  if 
the  owner  unexpectedly  appeared  he  met  him 
at  the  threshold  and  fiercely  defended  *he  door 
against  the  proprietor  himself.  Occasionally 
the  erratic  recluse  went  to  the  floor  —  a  place 
never  visited  by  his  little  attendant,  whose 
trouble  was  almost  painful  to  see.  He  at  once 
placed  himself  on  the  lowest  perch,  stretched 
out  and  looked  over,  following  every  movement 
with  his  eyes,  in  silence,  as  though  the  danger 
was  too  great  to  allow  conversation,  and  when 
his  charge  returned  to  a  perch,  he  uttered  a  loud 
and  joyous  call  as  though  some  peril  had  been 
escaped. 


232  A  SAUCY  BRAZILIAN. 

The  stanch  little  friend  had  many  chances  to 
show  his  loyalty.  The  other  birds  in  the  room 
were  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  one  who 
never  defended  himself.  In  particular  a  Bra- 
zilian cardinal,  a  bold  saucy  fellow  with  a  scar- 
let pointed  crest  and  a  loud  voice,  evidently  con- 
sidered the  tanager  cage  common  ground,  open 
to  everybody,  until  the  goldfinch  undertook  its 
defense.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  small  bird 
stand  just  inside,  and  rage,  puff  himself  out, 
wave  his  wings,  and  fairly  drive  away  the  foe. 
So  impertinent  was  the  Brazilian  that  the  finch 
declared  general  war  upon  him,  and  actually 
chased  his  big  antagonist  around  the  room  and 
away  from  his  favorite  perches,  hovering  over 
his  head,  and  flying  around  it  in  small  circles, 
trying  to  peck  it,  till  he  flew  away  defeated, 
probably  because  he  was  too  much  amazed  to 
think  of  resisting. 

This  was  not,  however,  the  worst  enemy  he 
had  to  deal  with.  Next  door  to  the  tanager 
lived  a  robin,  a  big,  rollicking,  fun-loving  fel- 
low who  considered  such  a  retiring  personage 
fair  game.  His  pleasure  was  to  see  that  the 
tanager  went  out  every  day,  and  he  made  it  his 
business  to  enforce  the  regulation  he  had  set  up. 
His  tactics  were  to  jump  upon  the  roof  of  the 
cage,  coming  down  violently  just  over  the  head 
of  the  tanager,  who,  of  course,  hopped  quickly 


AN  UNEQUAL   CONTEST.  233 

to  the  other  perch.  Then  the  robin  began  a 
mad  war-dance  across  the  cage,  wings  held  up, 
tail  spread,  bill  clattering,  and  altogether  look- 
ing as  full  of  mischief  as  any  bad  boy  one  ever 
saw,  while  the  tanager  went  wild  below,  flying 
in  a  panic  back  and  forth,  but  not  for  some 
time  thinking  of  leaving  the  cage.  The  in- 
stant this  performance  began,  the  little  cham- 
pion was  upon  him ;  he  alighted  at  one  end  of 
the  short  tramping  ground  on  the  cage,  and 
met  his  big  foe  with  open  beak  and  every  sign 
of  war.  The  robin  simply  lowered  his  head 
and  went  for  him,  and  the  little  bird  had  to  fly. 
He  pluckily  returned  at  once  to  the  other  end 
and  faced  him  again. 

Observing  that  the  goldfinch  alone  was  not 
able  to  keep  the  robin  away,  I  provided  the 
cage  with  a  roof  of  paper,  which  is  usually  a  per- 
fect protection,  since  birds  dislike  the  rustle.  It 
did  not  dismay  this  naughty  fellow,  however ; 
on  the  contrary,  it  gave  an  added  zest  because 
of  that  very  quality.  He  pranced  across  it  in 
glee,  making  a  great  noise,  and  when  the  vio- 
lence of  his  movements  pushed  it  aside,  he 
peered  down  on  the  tanager,  who  stood  pant- 
ing. The  sight  pleased  him,  and  he  resumed 
his  pranks;  he  lifted  the  handle  of  the  cage 
and  let  it  drop  with  a  clatter ;  he  jerked  off 
bits  of  paper  and  dropped  them  into  the  cage, 


234  REASSURING  THE  TANAGER. 

and  in  every  way  showed  a  very  mischievous 
spirit.  Meanwhile,  all  through  the  confusion 
the  goldfinch  scolded  furiously,  flying  around  to 
get  a  peck  at  him,  and  in  every  way  challenging 
him  to  fight.  Occasionally,  when  he  became  too 
troublesome,  the  robin  turned  and  snapped  his 
beak  at  him,  but  did  not  choose  to  leave  the 
bigger  game. 

When  at  last  he  tired  of  his  fun,  or  was 
driven  away,  the  goldfinch  flew  to  the  side  of 
the  cage  where  the  frightened  tanager  had 
taken  refuge,  though  there  was  not  even  a  strip 
of  tin  to  hold  on,  uttered  his  loud  cheerful  call 
several  times,  plainly  congratulating  and  re- 
assuring him,  and  telling  him  all  was  safe  ;  and 
here  he  clung  with  difficulty  to  the  upright 
wires,  all  the  time  slipping  down,  till  the  tan- 
ager went  to  the  upper  regions  again.  Every 
time  the  robin  so  much  as  flew  past,  the  tireless 
little  fellow  rushed  out  at  him,  scolding.  When 
finally  the  robin  went  into  his  own  cage,  and  the 
tanager  returned  to  his  usual  place,  the  gold- 
finch at  once  assumed  his  uncomfortable  perch 
and  sang  a  loud  sweet  song,  wriggling  his  body 
from  side  to  side,  and  expressing  triumph  and 
delight  in  a  remarkable  way. 

The  approach  of  spring  made  a  change  in 
the  tanager.  He  had  not  so  completely  given 
up  the  world  as  it  appeared.  He  began  to 


OFFENSIVE  OPERATIONS.  235 

chirp,  to  call,  and  at  last  to  sing.  He  was 
still  so  shy  he  went  down  behind  his  screen 
to  sing,  but  sing  he  must  and  did.  Now,  too, 
he  began  to  resent  the  attentions  of  his  ad- 
mirer, occasionally  giving  the  poor  little  toes 
a  nip,  as  they  clung  to  the  tin  band  near  his 
seat.  He  also  went  out  now,  and  turned  an 
open  beak  upon  his  friend.  From  simply  en- 
during him,  he  suddenly  began  offensive  opera- 
tions against  him.  Poor  little  lover!  an  un- 
grateful peck  did  not  drive  him  away,  but  sim- 
ply made  him  move  a  little  farther  off,  and 
stopped  his  gentle  twittering  talk  a  while.  But 
the  tanager  grew  more  and  more  belligerent. 
He  came  out  every  day,  took  soaking  baths,  and 
returned  to  his  examination  of  the  windows, 
for  the  trees  were  green  outside,  and  plainly  he 
longed  to  be  on  them.  He  stood  and  looked 
out,  and  called,  and  held  his  wings  up  level 
with  his  back,  fluttering  them  gently. 

All  this  time  the  devotion  of  the  little  one 
never  changed,  though  it  was  so  badly  received. 
When  the  tanager  turned  savagely  and  gave  his 
faithful  friend  a  severe  peck,  instead  of  re- 
senting it  the  hurt  bird  flew  to  another  perch, 
where  he  stood  a  long  time,  uttering  occasion- 
ally a  low,  plaintive  call,  as  if  of  reproach,  all 
his  cheerfulness  gone,  a  melancholy  sight  in- 
deed. I  waited  only  for  warm  days  to  set  free 


236  AWAY  HE  GOES. 

the  tanager,  and  at  last  they  came.  Early  in 
June  the  bird  was  put  into  a  traveling  cage, 
carried  into  the  country,  where  a  lovely  bit  of 
woods  and  a  pretty  lake  insured  a  good  living, 
and  the  absence  of  sparrows  made  it  safe  for  a 
bird  that  had  been  caged.  Then  the  door  was 
opened,  and  he  instantly  flew  out  of  sight. 

The  bird  left  at  home  seemed  a  little  lost 
for  a  few  days,  moped  about,  often  visited  the 
empty  cage,  but  in  a  short  time  entirely  aban- 
doned it,  and  evidently  looked  no  more  for  his 
friend.  But  he  is  changed  too:  not  quite  so 
gay  as  before  ;  not  so  much  singing;  and  not  a 
word  of  the  soft  chattering  talk  we  heard  so 
constantly  while  his  beloved  friend  was  here. 


THE  KOSY  SHIELD. 


Soft  falls  his  chant  as  on  the  nest 

Beneath  the  sunny  zone, 
For  love  that  stirred  it  in  his  breast 

Has  not  aweary  grown, 
And  'neath  the  city's  shade  can  keep 
The  well  of  music  clear  and  deep. 

And  love  that  keeps  the  music,  fills 

With  pastorial  memories. 
All  echoing  from  out  the  hills, 

All  droppings  from  the  skies, 
All  Sowings  from  the  wave  and  wind 
Remembered  in  the  chant  I  find. 

ELIZABETH  BARRETT  BROWNING. 


XIV. 
THE  ROSY  SHIELD. 


ONE  of  the  most  winning  inhabitants  of  my 
bird-room  last  winter  bore  on  his  snow-white 
breast  a  pointed  shield  of  beautiful  rose-color, 
and  the  same  rich  hue  lined  his  wings.  With 
these  exceptions  his  dress  was  of  sober  black 
and  white,  though  so  attractively  disposed  that 
he  was  an  extremely  pretty  bird  —  the  rose- 
breasted  grosbeak. 

Nor  was  beauty  his  only  attraction  ;  he  was  a 
peculiar  character,  in  every  way  different  from 
his  neighbors.  He  was  dignified,  yet  his  dig- 
nity was  not  like  that  of  a  thrush;  he  was 
calm  and  cool,  yet  not  after  the  manner  of  an 
orchard  oriole.  He  possessed  a  lovely  gentle- 
ness of  disposition,  and  a  repose  of  manner  un- 
paralleled among  my  birds.  Vulgar  restless- 
ness was  unknown  to  him ;  flying  about  for 
mere  exercise,  or  hopping  from  perch  to  perch 
to  pass  away  time,  he  scorned.  The  frivolous 
way  common  to  smaller  birds  of  going  for  each 


240  HE   CHOSE  A   CORNER. 

seed  as  they  want  it,  was  beneath  him.  When 
he  wished  to  eat  he  did  so  like  a  civilized 
being,  that  is,  took  his  stand  by  the  seed-cup, 
and  stayed  there,  attending  strictly  to  the  busi- 
ness in  hand  till  he  had  finished,  leaving  a  neat 
pile  of  canary-seed  shells  in  one  spot,  instead  of 
the  general  litter  common  to  cages.  The  meal 
over,  he  was  ready  to  go  out  of  the  cage,  place 
himself  comfortably  in  one  of  his  favorite  cor- 
ners, and  remain  for  a  long  time,  amused  with 
the  life  in  the  room  and  the  doings  in  the 
street,  on  both  of  which  he  seemed  to  look 
with  the  eye  of  a  philosopher.  In  the  same 
deliberate  and  characteristic  way  he  disposed 
of  a  meal-worm,  or  a  bit  of  beef,  which  he 
enjoyed.  He  never  bolted  it  outright  like  a 
thrush,  nor  beat  it  to  death  like  a  tanager,  nor 
held  it  under  one  toe  and  took  it  in  mouthfuls 
like  an  oriole :  he  quietly  worked  it  back  and 
forth  between  his  mandibles  till  reduced  to  a 
pulp,  and  then  swallowed  it. 

The  rosy  shield-bearer  was  preeminently  a 
creature  of  habit.  Very  early  in  his  life  with 
us  he  selected  certain  resting  places  for  his  pri- 
vate use,  and  all  the  months  of  his  stay  he  never 
changed  them.  The  one  preferred  above  all 
others  was  the  middle  bar  of  the  window-sash, 
in  the  corner,  and  I  noticed  that  his  choice  was 
always  a  corner.  In  this  sunny  spot  he  spent 


A  BIRD   OF  OPINION.  241 

most  of  the  time,  closely  pressed  against  the 
window-casing,  generally  looking  out  at  the 
trees  and  the  sparrow-life  upon  them,  and  re- 
garding every  passer-by  in  the  street,  not  in  an 
unhappy  way,  but  apparently  considering  the 
whole  a  panorama  for  his  entertainment.  When 
events  in  the  room  interested  him,  his  post  of  ob- 
servation was  a  bracket  that  held  a  small  cage, 
where  he  often  sat  an  hour  at  a  time  in  perfect 
silence,  looking  at  everybody,  concerned  about 
everything,  his  rosy  shield  and  white  breast  ef- 
fectively set  off  by  the  dark  paper  behind  him. 
Although  thus  immobile  and  silent,  the  gros- 
beak was  far  from  being  stupid.  He  had  de- 
cided opinions  and  tastes  as  well  defined  as  any- 
body's. For  example,  when  he  came  to  me  his 
cage  stood  on  a  shelf  next  to  that  occupied  by 
two  orchard  orioles,  and  he  was  never  pleased 
with  the  position.  He  was  hardly  restless  even 
there,  while  suffering  what  he  plainly  consid- 
ered a  grievance,  but  he  was  uneasy.  I  saw 
that  something  was  wrong,  and  guessed  at  once 
that  it  was  because  his  upper  perch  was  three 
inches  lower  than  that  in  the  next  cage,  and  to 
have  a  neighbor  higher  than  himself  is  always 
an  offense  to  a  bird.  As  soon  as  I  raised  his 
cage  he  was  satisfied  on  that  score,  and  no 
more  disturbed  me  in  the  early  morning  by 
shuffling  about  on  his  perch  and  trying  to  fly 
upward. 


242  CONTENTED  AND  HAPPY. 

But  still  things  were  not  quite  to  his  mind, 
and  he  showed  it  by  constantly  going  into  the 
cage  of  the  orioles  and  settling  himself  evidently 
with  the  desire  of  taking  up  his  residence  there. 
He  was  so  gentle  and  unobtrusive  everywhere, 
that  no  one  resented  his  presence  in  the  cage, 
and  he  could  have  lived  in  peace  with  almost 
any  bird.  But  I  wanted  him  contented  at 
home,  and  moreover,  I  was  curious  to  find  out 
what  was  amiss,  so  I  tried  the  experiment  of  re- 
moving his  cage  from  its  position  next  to  the 
lively  orioles,  and  hanging  it  alone  between  two 
windows,  where,  although  not  so  light,  it  had 
the  advantage  of  solitude.  The  change  com- 
pleted the  happiness  of  the  grosbeak.  From 
that  day  he  no  more  intruded  upon  others,  but 
went  and  came  freely  and  joyously  to  his  own 
cage,  and  from  being  hard  to  catch  at  night  he 
became  one  of  the  most  easy,  proceeding  the 
moment  he  entered  his  home  toward  dark  to  the 
upper  perch  to  wait  for  me  to  close  the  door  be- 
fore going  to  his  seed-dish.  In  fact,  he  grew  so 
contented  that  he  cared  little  to  come  out,  and 
often  sat  in  his  favorite  corner  of  the  cage  by 
the  hour,  with  the  door  wide  open  and  the 
other  birds  flying  around.  Now,  too,  he  began 
to  sing  in  a  sweet  voice  a  very  low  and  tender 
minor  strain. 

Among   his    other    peculiarities    this     bird 


DISTURBED  BY  AN  OWL.  243 

scarcely  ever  seemed  to  feel  the  need  of  utter- 
ance of  any  sort.  On  the  rare  occasions  of 
any  excitement  he  delivered  a  sharp,  metallic 
"  click  "  ;  a  sudden  alarm,  like  the  attack  of 
another  bird,  called  out  a  war-cry  loud  and 
shrill,  and  very  odd ;  and  in  the  contest  over 
the  important  question  of  precedence  at  the 
bath  he  sometimes  uttered  a  droll  squeal  or 
whining  sound.  Besides  these,  he  made  singu- 
lar noises  in  bathing  and  dressing  his  feathers, 
which  are  not  uncommon  among  birds,  but  are 
difficult  to  describe.  They  always  remind  me 
of  the  rubbing  of  machinery  in  need  of  oil. 

This  beautiful  bird  was  not  easily  frightened  ; 
the  only  time  I  ever  saw  him  seriously  disturbed 
was  at  the  sight  of  a  stuffed  screech-owl,  which 
I  brought  into  the  room  without  thinking  of  its 
probable  effect.  I  placed  it  on  a  shelf  in  a 
closet,  and  I  soon  noticed  that  the  moment  the 
closet  door  was  opened  the  grosbeak  became 
greatly  agitated ;  he  darted  across  the  room  to 
a  certain  retreat  where  he  always  hurried  on 
the  first  alarm  of  any  sort,  and  remained  in  re- 
tirement till  the  fancied  danger  was  over,  while 
the  others  flew  madly  about.  In  this  place  he 
stood  posturing  in  much  excitement,  and  utter- 
ing at  short  intervals  his  sharp  "  click."  For 
some  time  I  did  not  understand  his  conduct, 
nor  think  of  connecting  it  with  the  owl  on  the 


244  THE  LOOKING-GLASS. 

shelf  ;  but  when  it  did  occur  to  me  I  tried  the 
experiment  of  bringing  it  out  into  the  room, 
when  I  immediately  saw,  what  I  should  have 
remembered  at  once,  that  it  was  an  object  of 
terror  to  all  the  birds. 

The  song  of  the  rose-breasted  grosbeak  is 
celebrated,  and  I  hoped  my  bird  would  become 
acquainted  with  us,  and  let  out  his  voice  ;  but 
I  was  disappointed  in  both  respects,  for  he 
never  became  familiar  in  the  least,  and  though 
not  at  all  afraid  he  was  very  shy  ;  and  further- 
more, upon  my  bringing  into  the  room  two 
small  musical  thrushes,  the  grosbeak  —  feeling, 
as  I  said,  no  need  of  utterance  —  readily  re- 
lapsed into  silence,  and  all  the  winter  never 
sang  a  note.  His  conduct  before  the  looking- 
glass  indicated  that  he  was  not  naturally  so  si- 
lent, and  that  he  could  be  social  with  one  who 
understood  his  language.  Being  unable  to  get 
another  grosbeak,  I  tried  to  give  him  compan- 
ionship by  placing  a  small  glass  against  one  end 
of  his  cage.  On  seeing  his  reflection  the  bird 
was  greatly  agitated,  began  his  low,  whining 
cry,  postured,  bowed,  turned,  moved  back  and 
forth,  and  at  last  left  the  cage  and  looked  for 
the  stranger  behind  the  glass.  Not  Ending  him 
he  returned,  nad  another  intervisw  with  the 
misleading  image,  and  ended  as  before  in  seek- 
ing him  outside.  At  length  he  seemed  to  be 


CURIOUS  POSTURES.  245 

convinced  that  there  was  something  not  quite 
natural  about  it,  for,  feeling  hungry,  he  went, 
with  many  a  backward  glance  at  the  glass,  to 
the  floor,  took  a  hemp-seed  and  carried  it  out 
into  the  room  to  eat,  a  thing  he  never  did  at 
any  other  time. 

I  spoke  of  my  bird's  posturing ;  that  was  one 
of  his  pleasures,  and  almost  his  only  exercise 
while  he  lived  in  the  house.  He  was  not  grace- 
ful, his  body  was  not  flexible,  and  his  tail  was 
far  from  being  the  expressive  member  it  is 
with  many  birds,  it  always  stood  straight  out ; 
he  could  raise  it  with  a  little  jerk,  and  he  had 
a  beautiful  way  of  opening  it  like  a  fan,  but  I 
never  saw  it  droop  or  stir  in  any  other  way.  In 
these  movements  his  head  and  tail  maintained 
the  same  relative  position  to  the  body,  as  though 
they  were  cut  out  of  one  piece  of  wood ;  but 
he  bowed  and  leaned  far  over  on  one  side,  with 
his  short  legs  wide  spread ;  he  passed  down  a 
perch,  alternately  crouching  and  rising,  either 
sideways  or  straight ;  he  jerked  his  whole  body 
one  side  and  then  the  other,  in  a  manner  ludi- 
crously suggestive  of  a  wriggle  ;  he  sidled  along 
his  perch,  holding  his  wings  slightly  out  and 
quivering,  then  slowly  raised  them  both  straight 
up,  and  instantly  dropped  them,  or  held  them 
half  open,  fluttering  and  rustling  his  feathers. 

He  had  also  a  curious  way  of  moving  over  a 


246  THRUST  OUT  HIS  TONGUE. 

long  perch :  he  proceeded  by  sidewise  hops,  and 
at  each  hop  he  turned  half  round,  that  is,  the 
first  step  he  faced  the  window,  the  next  the 
room,  the  third  the  window  again,  and  so  on  to 
the  end,  coming  down  at  every  jump  as  though 
he  weighed  a  pound  or  two.  He  was  much  ad- 
dicted to  sitting  with  breast-feathers  puffed  out 
covering  his  toes,  or  sometimes  with  wings  held 
a  little  way  from  his  body,  showing  the  delicate 
rose-colored  lining,  as  though  conscious  how 
pretty  he  looked;  and  among  other  eccentric 
habits  he  often  thrust  out  his  tongue,  first  one 
side  and  then  the  other,  apparently  to  clean  his 
bill. 

Bathing  and  getting  dry  was  conducted  by 
this  peculiar  bird  in  a  manner  characteristic  of 
himself.  Slow  to  make  the  plunge,  he  was 
equally  deliberate  in  coming  out  of  the  bath. 
When  fairly  in,  he  first  thrust  his  head  under, 
then  sat  up  in  the  drollest  way,  head  quite  out 
of  water  and  tail  lying  flat  on  the  bottom,  while 
he  spattered  vigorously  with  wings  and  tail. 
When  he  stepped  out,  the  bath  was  over ;  he 
never  returned  for  a  second  dip,  but  passed  at 
once  to  a  favorite  corner  of  the  window-bar,  and 
stood  there  a  most  disconsolate-looking  object, 
shivering  with  cold,  with  plumage  completely 
disheveled,  but  making  not  the  least  effort  to 
dry  his  feathers  for  several  minutes.  If  the  sun 


BIRDS  AT  DUSK.  247 

shone,  he  indulged  himself  in  a  sunning,  erecting 
the  feathers  of  his  chin  till  he  looked  as  if  he 
wore  a  black  muffler,  opening  his  tail  like  a  fan, 
spreading  and  crossing  his  wings  over  the  back. 
This  attitude  made  a  complete  change  in  his 
looks,  showing  white  where  black  should  be, 
and  vice  versa.  This  was  the  result  of  his  pe- 
culiar coloring.  Next  the  skin  all  feathers  were 
the  common  slate-color,  but  outside  of  that  each 
feather  was  black  and  white.  On  the  back  the 
black  was  at  the  tip,  and  the  white  between 
that  and  the  slate-color ;  on  the  breast  this  order 
was  reversed,  and  the  white  at  the  tip.  Thus 
when  wet  the  white  and  black  were  confused, 
and  he  resembled  an  object  in  patch-work. 
The  rose-colored  shield  was  formed  by  the 
slightest  possible  tips  of  that  color  on  the  white 
ends,  and  it  was  wonderful  that  they  should  ar- 
range themselves  in  an  unbroken  figure,  with  a 
sharply  defined  outline,  for  each  feather  must 
have  lain  in  its  exact  place  to  secure  the  result. 
The  different  ways  in  which  birds  greet  ad- 
vancing night  has  long  been  a  subject  of  inter- 
est to  me,  some  restless  and  nervous,  others 
calm,  and  a  few  wild  and  apparently  frightened. 
In  no  one  thing  is  there  more  individuality  of 
action,  and  in  my  room  that  winter  were  exhib^ 
ited  every  evening  quite  a  variety  of  methods. 
A  brown  thrush  or  thrasher  on  the  approach 


248  SLEPT  AND  DREAMED. 

of  darkness  became  exceedingly  restless,  flying 
about  his  cage,  going  over  and  under  and 
around  his  perches,  posturing  in  extraordinary 
ways,  uttering  at  every  moment  a  strange, 
harsh-breathing  sound.  Two  smaller  thrushes 
met  the  evening  hour  by  fluttering,  and  a  queer 
sort  of  dance  elsewhere  described.  Two  orchard 
orioles  saluted  the  twilight  by  gymnastics  on 
the  roof  of  the  cage.  The  bluebirds  made  care- 
ful and  deliberate  arrangements  for  a  comforta- 
ble night,  while  the  grosbeak  differed  from  all 
in  simply  fluffing  himself  out,  and  settling  him- 
self, on  the  first  hint  of  dark,  in  the  chosen  cor- 
ner, whence  he  scarcely  moved,  and  as  soon  as 
objects  grew  indistinct  he  laid  his  head  quietly 
in  its  feather  pillow  and  stirred  no  more.  The 
brightest  gaslight  an  hour  later  did  not  disturb 
him  ;  if  a  noise  wakened  him,  he  simply  looked 
up  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  but  did  not 
move,  and  soon  turned  back  to  his  rest,  when 
slight  jerks  of  his  wings,  and  faint  complain- 
ing sounds,  told  that  he  not  only  slept,  but 
dreamed. 

The  bearer  of  the  rosy  shield  was  a  persistent 
individual ;  having  once  taken  a  notion  into  his 
head,  nothing  would  make  him  forget  it  or 
change  his  mind.  Fully  settled  in  his  prefer- 
ence for  a  certain  perch  on  the  window,  the 
coldest  day  in  winter,  with  the  wind  blowing  a 


DIGNIFIED  AND  PERSISTENT.  249 

gale  through  the  crack  between  the  sashes, 
would  not  make  him  desert  it.  Driving  him 
away  from  the  spot  had  not  the  slightest  effect 
on  him,  he  returned  the  moment  he  was  left  in 
peace.  Thinking  that  another  cage  was  more 
convenient  for  his  use,  nothing  short  of  absolute 
shutting  the  door  would  keep  him  out  of  it. 
Nor  did  he  forget  about  it  either ;  if  the  door 
was  accidentally  left  open,  after  being  closed 
for  weeks,  he  entered  as  quickly  as  though  he 
had  been  in  every  day. 

This  bird  never  showed  any  playfulness  of 
disposition ;  indeed,  he  had  too  much  dignity  to 
do  so.  He  never  flew  around  the  room  as 
though  he  liked  to  use  his  wings,  although  they 
were  perfect,  and  there  was  nothing  to  prevent 
if  he  chose.  Nor  did  he  display  curiosity  about 
his  surroundings.  The  only  things  he  appeared 
to  notice  were  the  doings  of  the  birds  and  peo- 
ple in  the  room,  and  the  moving  panorama 
without,  which  latter  he  always  viewed  with 
equanimity,  although  the  sound  of  a  hand-organ 
aroused  him  to  a  sort  of  mild  fury. 

As  spring  advanced,  the  beautiful  grosbeak 
grew  tuneful  and  often  added  his  exquisite  song 
to  the  rippling  music  of  the  small  thrushes,  and 
—  with  a  little  stretch  of  the  imagination  as  to 
its  duration  — 

"  Trilled  from  out  his  carmine  breast, 
His  happy  breast,  the  livelong  day." 


THE  BIRD  OF  MYSTERY. 


For  me  there  is  a  mystery  unrevealed ; 
Sweet  Nature,  speak  to  me  ! 

LUCY  LARCOM. 


XV. 

THE  BIRD  OF  MYSTERY. 


IT  is  well  that  Nature  has  so  carefully  guarded 
the  lives  of  her  most  beautiful  birds,  for  it  is 
a  sad  fact  that,  in  the  words  of  an  eminent 
writer,  "the  winged  order — the  loftiest,  the 
tenderest,  the  most  sympathetic  with  man  —  is 
that  which  man  nowadays  pursues  most  cruelly." 
Had  they  been  as  accessible  as  sparrows,  even 
although  they  equaled  them  in  numbers,  not 
one  would  by  this  time  be  alive  on  earth. 

The  family  whose  extraordinary  dress  and 
mystery  of  origin  justify  its  name  —  Birds  of 
Paradise  —  is  securely  hidden  in  distant  islands 
not  friendly  to  bird-hunting  races.  Inacces- 
sible mountains  and  pathless  forests  repel  the 
traveler;  impassable  ravines  bar  his  advance; 
sickness  and  death  lie  in  wait  for  the  white 
man,  while  the  native  lurks  with  poisoned  dart 
behind  every  bush. 

The  first  of  the  race  that  came  to  us  were 
heralded  by  myth  and  invested  with  marvels: 


254  MARVELOUS  STORIES. 

they  had  no  feet;  they  slept  upon  the  wing; 
they  fed  upon  dew,  and  hatched  their  eggs 
upon  their  backs.  Such  were  the  tales  that 
accompanied  the  skins,  magnificent  beyond  any- 
thing known  to  the  world  in  the  glory  of  plu- 
mage, and  they  were  named  Birds  of  Paradise. 
But  science  is  supposed  in  these  days  to  con- 
quer all  mysteries,  and  science  armed  itself 
with  powder  and  shot,  game  bags,  provision 
trains,  and  servants,  and  set  out  for  the  far- 
away inhospitable  islands,  the  home  of  this, 
the  most  attractive  of  all.  Science  has  solved 
many  problems :  the  "  Heart  of  Africa "  has 
become  a  highway  ;  the  Polar  sea  and  the 
source  of  the  Nile  are  no  longer  unknown; 
but  with  her  most  persistent  efforts  during 
three  hundred  years  she  has  not  yet  been 
able  to  give  us  the  life  history  of  this  one 
feathered  family.  Many  of  her  devotees  have 
penetrated  to  its  home  and  brought  back  fresh 
varieties;  money,  health,  and  life  have  been 
freely  spent ;  but,  save  for  a  few  strange 
and  curious  facts,  we  know  little  more  of  the 
manner  of  life  of  the  Birds  of  Paradise  than 
we  did  when  we  depended  on  the  native  le- 
gends. How  some  of  them  look  we  know ; 
we  have  their  skins  wired  into  shape  in  our 
museums  and  gorgeously  pictured  in  our  books  ; 
but  every  traveler  finds  new  kinds,  and  how 


DANCING  PARTIES.  255 

many  sorts  there  may  be  which  have  so  far 
eluded  the  few  and  short  visits  of  naturalists, 
no  one  is  able  to  tell.  Even  of  those  we  have, 
how  scant}''  is  our  knowledge !  What  they  eat 
we  are  told;  how  they  bathe  and  dress  their 
plumage  ;  their  loud  calls  and  unmusical  voices  ; 
the  shyness  of  those  whose  conspicuous  beauty 
sets  a  price  upon  their  heads,  and  their  "  danc- 
ing parties,"  so  graphically  described  by  Wal- 
lace ;  but  of  their  nesting  we  are  in  profound 
ignorance.  Where  the  gravely  dressed  part- 
ners of  the  brilliant  creatures  set  up  the  hearth- 
stone none  can  tell,  unless  it  be  the  mop-headed 
Papuan,  and  he  will  not. 

The  colors  lavished  on  the  plumage  would 
alone  make  the  Birds  of  Paradise  the  wonder 
of  the  world ;  exquisite  tints  not  surpassed  by 
the  humming-birds  themselves,  and  of  almost 
infinite  variety,  from  the  richest  velvety  purple 
to  the  gorgeous  metallic  greens,  blues,  and  yel- 
lows, changing  with  every  motion,  and  glitter- 
ing in  the  sun  like  gems.  But  the  marvelous 
freaks  in  the  arrangement  of  the  plumage  are 
more  specially  interesting.  So  extraordinary 
a  variety  of  forms,  so  unique  and  fantastic  in 
disposal,  are  without  parallel  in  the  animal 
world.  Some  species  are  adorned  with  long, 
drooping  tufts  of  plumes  light  as  air,  as  the 
Red  Bird  of  Paradise,  and  others  bear  strange- 


256  ECCENTRICITY  IN  FEATHERS. 

shaped,  movable  shields ;  part  of  the  family 
wear  ruffs,  and  others  display  fans  on  shoulders 
or  breast ;  a  few  sport  extravagant  length  of 
tail,  and  one  or  two  show  bright-hued  wattles ; 
one  species  is  bare-headed,  and  —  other  vaga- 
ries being  exhausted  —  two  have  curls.  The 
greater  number  have  an  unusual  development 
of  two  or  more  feathers  into  long,  wire-like  ob- 
jects, with  a  patch  of  web  at  the  ends.  In  one 
species  these  wires  are  formed  into  two  perfect 
circles  beyond  the  end  of  the  tail ;  in  another 
they  cross  each  other  in  a  graceful  double  curve, 
and  in  a  third  stand  straight  and  stiff  from  the 
end  of  the  feathers.  The  Sexpennis,  or  Golden 
Bird  of  Paradise,  has  on  the  head  six  of  these 
shafts,  which  it  erects  at  pleasure,  produc- 
ing a  singular  appearance  ;  and  the  Standard 
Wing  has  two  on  each  wing,  equally  effec- 
tive. Perhaps  the  most  peculiar  fact  about 
the  family  is  the  power  each  bird  possesses 
to  change  its  form  by  means  of  these  eccen- 
tric ornaments.  All  are  erectile  and  movable 
in  several  ways,  and  a  bird  that  is  at  one  mo- 
ment like  our  common  crow  in  shape,  may 
in  the  next  show  a  dazzling  array  of  waving 
plumes  or  vibrating  fans,  and  be  utterly  un- 
recognizable for  the  same  creature.  It  is  evi- 
dent to  all  bird  students  that  feathers  are  as 
surely  an  "  index  of  the  mind "  as  are  tails 


A  PAPUAN  HOUSE.  257 

in  cat  and  dog,  and  the  manners  and  expres- 
sion of  this  family  would  be  a  study  of  ab- 
sorbing interest. 

Not  to  mention  the  birds  already  familiar 
in  books,  there  are  a  few  interesting  pecu- 
liarities of  some  of  the  late  discoveries,  and 
the  possible  varieties  are  by  no  means  ex- 
hausted, so  that  each  new  traveler  who  pene- 
trates into  their  chosen  home  will  doubtless 
have  opportunity  to  see  his  own  name  Latin- 
ized into  dignity  and  bestowed  upon  some  bril- 
liant and  hitherto  unknown  bird,  having  a  new 
disposition  of  plumage,  or  a  color  more  beau- 
tiful —  if  conceivable  —  than  any  before.  One 
of  the  most  attractive  of  the  recent  additions 
to  the  list  was  made  by  Signor  D'Albertis, 
and  named  for  him  Drepanoris  Albertisi.  In 
a  letter  to  a  Sydney  newspaper  he  tells  the 
story  of  the  discovery,  which  occurred  while  he 
was  living  in  a  Papuan  mansion  built  upon 
the  trunks  of  trees,  and  reached  by  means  of 
a  long  ladder.  From  this  unique  residence 
he  made  excursions  into  the  mountains,  and, 
among  other  things,  had  the  good  fortune  to 
see  two  curious  episodes  in  the  life  of  the  Six- 
shafted  Bird  of  Paradise.  He  found  this  bird 
—  which  is  not  new  to  science  —  to  be  a  noisy 
and  solitary  fellow,  roaming  the  thick  woods 
alone,  dining  upon  figs  and  other  fruits,  and 


258  DUSTING  ITSELF. 

indulging  in  the  strange  habit  of  "dusting" 
itself  like  a  city  sparrow.  Happily  he  saw  the 
whole  operation.  Selecting  a  suitable  spot,  the 
beautiful  bird  first  cleared  away  the  grass  and 
leaves,  and  while  the  eager  observer  was  won- 
dering what  all  this  preparation  portended,  sud- 
denly flung  itself  to  the  ground,  and  rolled  its 
rich  plumage  in  the  dust,  fluttered  the  wings, 
elevated  and  depressed  the  six  plumes  on  its 
head,  and  otherwise  appeared  to  enjoy  itself 
extremely.  At  another  time  the  traveler  wit- 
nessed a  second  uncommon  scene  in  the  deep 
interior  of  the  forest.  A  bird  of  the  same 
species  alighted  upon  the  ground,  and  after 
peering  in  every  direction,  either  to  make 
sure  of  being  unobserved,  or  to  discover  an 
enemy  or  a  friend,  began  a  most  singular 
performance,  waving  the  six  long  plumes  of 
the  head,  raising  and  lowering  a  small  tuft  of 
silvery  white  feathers  over  its  beak,  elevating 
a  glittering  crest  oil  its  neck,  and  spreading 
and  drawing  back  the  long  feathers  on  its  sides, 
every  movement  entirely  changing  its  apparent 
shape.  In  a  short  time  it  began  to  jump  from 
side  to  side  and  to  assume  an  attitude  of  war, 
and  all  the  time  it  never  ceased  uttering  an  un- 
common note,  as  though  calling  for  admiration 
or  for  a  fight. 

Not   long  after  this  curious  exhibition  fol- 


A   NEW  BIRD.  259 

lowed  the  observer's  great  prize,  the  Drepano- 
ris  Albertisi,  which  is  so  rare  that  even  to 
many  of  the  natives  it  was  a  surprise.  At 
the  first  glance  this  bird  does  not  appear  to 
deserve  a  place  in  the  remarkable  family.  It  is 
about  the  size  of  our  common  crow,  brown 
on  the  back,  and  lavender-gray  below,  with  a 
curved  bill  more  than  three  inches  long.  But 
closer  study  reveals  several  peculiarities  :  a  bare 
space  of  bright  blue  around  the  eye,  brilliant 
green  on  the  throat,  and  a  pair  of  feathery 
tufts  standing  up  on  the  forehead  like  horns, 
with  the  crowning  attraction  of  two  pairs  of 
fans,  one  behind  the  other  on  each  side  of  the 
breast,  capable  of  being  folded  smoothly  against 
the  body,  or  spread  wide  in  two  gorgeous 
semicircles  altering  the  entire  outlines  of  the 
creature.  The  first  of  the  two  admirable  or- 
naments, when  in  repose,  appears  of  the  same 
violet-gray  hue  as  the  breast ;  but  when  raised 
the  bases  of  the  feathers  are  seen  to  be  of  a 
brilliant  red,  giving  the  effect  of  longitudinal 
stripes.  The  second  pair  is  much  longer,  with 
deep  margins  of  splendid  purple  instead  of  the 
stripes.  When  the  possessor  of  all  this  splen- 
dor spreads  its  four  fans,  it  also  erects  the  long 
tail  and  opens  it  widely  into  a  fifth  fan,  which 
produces  an  astonishing  effect. 

Another  of  D'Albertis's  contributions  to  the 


260  DANGER  OF  BEAUTY. 

mysterious  family  is  among  its  most  magnifi- 
cent members,  the  Paradisea  Raggiana.  A 
fine  specimen  of  this  genus,  mounted  in  the 
position  described  by  Wallace  as  the  "  dancing  " 
attitude  of  P.  Apoda^  the  floating  plumes  ele- 
vated in  a  "golden  glory"  above  the  head,  is 
the  gem  of  the  collection  in  the  American 
Museum  of  New  York.  It  resembles  the  Great 
Bird  of  Paradise,  having  long,  airy  plumes 
springing  from  under  each  wing.  In  general 
color  golden  brown,  with  yellow  head  and  green 
throat.  To  this  bird,  as  to  others,  beauty  is  a 
dangerous  possession  ;  and,  as  if  feeling  aware 
of  the  fact,  it  lives  in  the  tops  of  tall  trees,  in 
the  deepest  forest,  among  the  most  inaccessible 
ravines.  But  wary  though  it  be,  one  charac- 
teristic lures  it  to  destruction  —  curiosity.  A 
European  hunter  in  his  unfamiliar  dress  is  an 
irresistible  attraction ;  nearer  and  nearer  it 
comes,  hopping  from  branch  to  branch,  pausing 
at  every  step  to  observe  and  study  the  intruder, 
with  neck  stretched  and  wings  flapping,  every 
moment  uttering  a  peculiar  cry,  no  doubt  equiv- 
alent to  "  Come  and  look  !  "  for  it  brings  others 
upon  the  scene,  till  the  pretty  sight  is  rudely 
ended  by  a  shot  and  a  death-wound.  The  cry 
of  distress  brings  the  friends  nearer,  only  to 
fall  victims  in  their  turn  to  the  same  murder- 
ous gun.  Our  traveler  once  surprised  a  female 


A  BARE-HEADED  BIRD.  261 

of  this  species,  and  a  droll  proceeding  followed. 
After  flying  several  times  around  his  head  to 
see  what  sort  of  a  creature  he  might  be,  she 
alighted  on  a  vine,  and  turning  heels  over  head, 
remained  hanging  head  down,  sharply  scruti- 
nizing his  appearance  from  this  point  of  view 
till  he  —  shot  her. 

A  bare-headed  bird  would  not  seem  to  pre- 
sent any  attraction  to  the  lover  of  beauty, 
though  it  might  be  of  scientific  interest ;  but 
Nature,  not  having  exhausted  her  resources 
upon  the  Birds  of  Paradise  already  mentioned, 
has  even  accomplished  the  feat  of  making  a 
bald-headed  beauty.  The  bare  skin  on  the 
whole  crown  is  of  a  brilliant  blue  color  most 
oddly  crossed  by  narrow  rows  of  minute  feath- 
ers, which  irresistibly  remind  one  of  the  sutures 
of  the  human  skull.  That  color  shall  not  be 
lacking,  it  bears,  besides  the  blue  of  the  head, 
black,  straw  color,  bright  red,  and  green ;  and 
is  further  adorned  with  two  very  long  central 
tail  feathers,  which  reach  far  beyond  the  rest 
of  the  tail,  and  return,  making  a  complete  cir- 
cle ;  a  rare  and  lovely  ornament.  A  good  spec- 
imen is  among  the  later  arrivals  at  the  Ameri^ 
can  Museum. 

The  Manucodia  are  the  curly  Birds  of  Para- 
dise, and  our  knowledge  of  one  of  the  latest 
and  most  novel  of  them  is  owing  not  to  the 


262  CURLY-HEADED  BIRDS. 

indefatigable  naturalists  who  have  braved  the 
dangers  and  discomfort  of  their  wild  island 
home,  neither  to  the  English  Wallace,  the 
Dutch  Von  Rosenburg,  the  Italian  Beccari,  nor 
to  D'Albertis,  nor  Bruiju,  nor  De  Myer,  whose 
names  will  be  forever  associated  with  the  splen- 
did family,  but  to  a  British  officer  of  scientific 
tastes. 

M.  Comrii  is  the  largest,  and  has  more  curls 
than  any  other  yet  discovered,  for  they  not 
only  decorate  the  top  of  the  head,  but  extend 
down  the  neck,  and  form  ridges  over  the  eyes. 
Even  the  tail  partakes  of  the  general  curve, 
which  makes  it  boat-shaped,  and  —  most  fan- 
tastic of  all  —  the  two  middle  feathers  are 
nearly  an  inch  shorter  than  their  next  neigh- 
bors, and  turned  over  at  the  ends  so  as  to  dis- 
play the  different  color  of  their  inner  surface, 
and  form  what  ladies  call  "  revers." 

"Such  eccentricities  are  really  not  to  be 
accounted  for,  as  we  cannot  conceive  they  can 
be  for  any  useful  purpose  "  (!),  gravely  says 
science  in  the  person  of  an  English  authority. 
This  severely  disapproved  of  plumage  is  blue 
with  green  lights  on  back  and  head,  and  black 
edged  on  every  feather,  with  purple  on  the 
breast. 

Another  species  of  the  curly  family,  the 
Blue-green  Paradise  Bird  (M.  Chalybea),  has 


A  CHANGEABLE  BIRD.  263 

been  known  to  us  for  a  hundred  years,  but  its 
habits  are  as  much  a  mystery  as  its  curls.  It 
is  exquisite  in  color,  of  the  richest  purple, 
glossy  as  satin,  with  neck  of  deep  green,  and 
all  crinkled  and  curled  over  head  and  neck. 

The  Long-tailed  Bird  of  Paradise  is  the  proud 
possessor  of  twenty-two  names,  from  which  it 
were  hard  to  make  a  selection.  It  is  one  of 
the  largest,  being  twenty-two  inches  in  length, 
most  of  which,  however,  is  tail,  and  is  splendid 
in  soft  velvet  Jike  black  with  hints  of  green  and 
blue  and  purple.  On  each  side  it  carries  a  fan 
of  curved  feathers,  and  the  plumes  of  the  flanks 
are  of  the  lightest  and  most  delicate  texture. 
Words  cannot  describe  the  grace  and  elegance 
of  this  bird,  and  the  perfect  specimen  in  the 
museum  above  mentioned  is  worthy  of  a  pil- 
grimage to  see. 

A  "  changeable  "  Bird  of  Paradise  is  the  one 
remaining  eccentricity  conceivable  to  complete 
the  variety  in  coloring,  and  this  is  found  in  the 
Epimachus  Ellioti,  a  bird  so  rare  that  at  the 
time  Gould  published  his  first  work  the  speci- 
men in  his  collection  was  unique,  and  natural- 
ists in  their  excursions  in  the  Papuan  Islands 
have  vainly  tried  to  discover  its  home  and  learn 
its  habits.  The  whole  incomparable  plumage 
is  of  rich  changeable  hues ;  in  ordinary  light, 
when  perfectly  motionless,  the  bird  appears  of 


264  ECCENTRIC  IN  HABITS. 

a  soft  black,  but  on  moving  about  the  color 
varies  from  violet  to  maroon,  from  this  to  deep 
amethyst,  and  then  to  green,  purple,  and  blue. 
A  most  extraordinary  effect  is  produced  when 
it  faces  the  spectator  with  fan-plumes  expanded, 
reaching  so  far  above  its  head  that  they  look 
like  a  pair  of  arms  thrown  up. 

The  most  interesting  though  not  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  family  is  the  Gardener  bird, 
discovered  a  few  years  ago  by  the  Italian  natu- 
ralist Beccari.  Here  is  a  Bird  of  Paradise 
eccentric  not  in  dress  but  in  habits.  His  plu- 
mage is  modest  brown  in  several  shades,  so  in- 
conspicuous that  the  partner  of  his  joys  can 
wear  the  same  tints,  which  she  does.  The  bird 
is  the  size  of  a  turtle-dove.  Let  the  doctor 
himself  tell  the  story  of  the  discovery  while 
walking  through  the  beautiful  forest,  so  thick 
that  scarcely  a  ray  of  sunshine  penetrated  the 
branches.  He  says  : 

u  I  suddenly  stood  before  the  most  remarka- 
ble specimen  of  the  industry  of  an  animal.  It 
was  a  hut  or  bower  close  to  a  small  meadow 
enameled  with  flowers.  The  whole  was  on  a 
diminutive  scale,  and  I  immediately  recognized 
the  famous  nests  described  by  the  hunters  of 
Bruiju.  After  well  observing  the  whole  I  gave 
strict  orders  to  my  hunters  not  to  destroy  the 
little  building.  That,  however,  was  an  unne- 


A  CLEVER  BUILDER.  265 

cessary  caution,  since  the  Papuans  take  great 
care  never  to  disturb  these  nests  or  bowers, 
even  if  they  are  in  their  way.  The  birds  had 
evidently  enjoyed  the  greatest  quiet  until  we 
happened,  unfortunately  for  them,  to  come  near 
them.  I  had  now  full  employment  in  the  pre- 
paration of  my  treasure.  ...  I  took  colors  and 
brushes,  and  went  to  the  spot,  and  made  the 
sketch  which  I  now  publish.  When  I  was  there 
neither  host  nor  hostess  was  at  home.  ...  I 
could  not  ascertain  whether  this  bower  was  oc- 
cupied by  one  pair  or  more,  whether  the  male 
alone  is  the  builder,  or  whether  the  wife  as- 
sists. I  believe,  however,  that  the  nest  lasts 
several  seasons." 

The  pleasing  description  of  the  house  and 
lawn,  with  its  many  decorations,  has  been 
widely  copied.  "  Being  mostly  near  the  en- 
trd'nce,"  says  the  grave  scientist  in  conclusion, 
surprised  into  sentiment,  "  it  would  appear  that 
the  husband  offers  there  the  daily  gift  to  the 
wife,  removing  the  objects  to  the  back  of  the 
hut  as  they  fade  or  wither."  It  is  clever  not 
only  in  building  a  house  and  lawn,  but  in  imi- 
tating the  songs  and  cries  of  other  birds,  and 
doing  it  so  well,  according  to  our  author,  that 
it  brought  "  his  hunters  to  despair." 

So  few  Birds  of  Paradise  have  entered  the 
scientific  world  alive,  and  so  little  is  known 


266  EXQUISITE  TOILET. 

of  their  manners,  that  the  meagre  accounts  we 
have  possess  unusual  interest.  So  long  ago  as 
early  in  the  century  Mr.  Bennett,  in  his  visit 
to  Macao,  wrote  a  statement  of  the  ways  of  a 
Great  Bird  of  Paradise  (P.  Apoda)  which  had 
been  at  that  time  in  confinement  nine  years. 
His  description  of  the  toilet  of  the  most  exqui- 
site of  birds  is  delightful. 

"  It  washes  itself  regularly  twice  daily,  and 
after  having  performed  its  ablutions,  throws  its 
delicate  feathers  up  nearly  over  the  head.  .  .  . 
The  beautiful  subalar  plumage  is  then  thrown 
out  and  cleaned  from  any  spot  that  may  sully 
its  purity  by  being  passed  gently  through  the 
bill,  the  short  chocolate-colored  wings  are  ex- 
tended to  the  utmost,  and  he  keeps  them  in  a 
steady  flapping  motion,  at  the  same  time  rais- 
ing up  the  delicate  long  feathers  over  the  back, 
which  are  spread  in  a  chaste  and  elegant  man- 
ner, floating  like  films  in  the  ambient  air.  In 
this  position  the  bird  would  remain  for  a  short 
time,  seemingly  proud  of  its  heavenly  beauty. 
I  never  yet  beheld  a  soil  on  its  feathers.  After 
expanding  the  wings  it  would  bring  them  to- 
gether .so  as  to  conceal  the  head,  then  bending 
gracefully  it  would  inspect  the  state  of  its 
plumage  underneath.  ...  It  then  picks  and 
cleans  its  plumage  in  every  part  within  reach, 
and  throwing  out  the  elegant  and  delicate  tuft 


THE  DANCE.  267 

of  feathers  underneath,  they  are  cleaned  in 
succession,  if  required,  by  throwing  them  abroad, 
elevating  and  passing  them  in  succession  through 
the  bill.  Then  turning  its  back  to  the  specta- 
tors, the  actions  above  mentioned  are  repeated, 
.  .  .  and  throwing  its  feathers  up  with  much 
grace,  appears  as  proud  as  a  lady  dressed  in  her 
full  ball  dress"  (!).  After  further  account  of 
its  taking  grasshoppers  from  visitors,  he  con- 
cludes :  "  Should  any  of  the  insects  fall  to  the 
floor  of  his  cage  he  will  not  descend  to  them, 
appearing  to  be  fearful  that  in  so  doing  he 
should  soil  his  delicate  plumage." 

Almost  equally  charming  is  Mr.  Bennett's 
observation  of  one  that  Wallace  carried  alive  to 
London,  which  lived  two  years  there  and  be- 
came exceedingly  tame.  It  is  this  species  whose 
dancing  parties  Wallace  thus  describes :  — 

"  On  one  of  these  trees  a  dozen  or  twenty 
full-plumaged  male  birds  assemble,  raise  their 
wings  vertically  over  the  back,  stretch  out  their 
necks,  and  raise  and  expand  their  exquisite  long 
plumes  till  they  form  two  magnificent  golden 
fans,  which  are  kept  in  continual  vibration. 
Between  whiles  they  fly  across  from  branch  to 
branch  in  great  excitement,  so  that  the  whole 
tree  is  filled  with  waving  plumes  in  every  vari- 
ety of  attitude  and  motion.  In  the  position 
above  mentioned  the  whole  bird  is  overshad* 


268  DESERVES  ITS  NAME. 

owed  by  his  plumage,  the  crouching  body,  yel- 
low head,  and  emerald  green  throat  form  but 
the  foundation  and  setting  to  the  golden  glory 
which  waves  above.  Seen  in  this  attitude  the 
Bird  of  Paradise  really  deserves  its  name,  and 
must  be  ranked  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  most  wonderful  of  living  things.1' 

In  truth,  it  is  so  transcendently  beautiful  that 
hunters  have  been  astonished  into  forgetfulness 
of  their  guns,  and  no  triumph  was  ever  greater, 
for  to  recognize  an  attractive  creature  and  lift 
the  gun  to  take  its  life  seems  to  be  a  single 
operation  of  many  who  carry  the  murderous 
weapon. 

The  Twelve-wired,  one  of  the  better  known 
varieties  of  the  Birds  of  Paradise,  is  usually  fig- 
ured, and  probably  always  mounted,  with  its 
exquisite  plumes  closely  folded  against  its  sides, 
but  the  French  naturalist  and  traveler  Le  Vail- 
lant,  in  his  large  work  published  early  in  the 
century,  gives  a  representation  of  it  under  the 
name  of  Le  Nebuleux,  with  feathers  expanded 
to  the  uttermost,  a  truly  magnificent  display. 
All  his  figures,  though  sometimes  incorrect, 
owing  to  the  scanty  knowledge  of  the  time,  have 
a  great  deal  of  life.  Each  bird  is  presented 
both  in  repose,  with  plumage  all  folded  smooth- 
ly back,  and  in  excitement,  with  every  fan  and 
ruff  and  erectile  ornament  fully  spread. 


A  SUGGESTION.  269 

This  peerless  family  takes  kindly  to  captiv- 
ity, as  has  been  amply  proved  by  their  enduring 
the  voyage  and  living  two  years  in  the  unfavor- 
able climate  of  England,  as  well  as  by  spend- 
ing at  least  nine  years  in  an  aviary  in  China, 
and  there  is  no  reason  why  we  in  America 
should  not  have  opportunity  to  admire  them 
and  study  their  habits  from  life.  Would  that 
some  of  our  young  explorers  could  be  induced 
to  turn  from  the  ice-fields  of  the  Poles,  and  the 
death-swamps  of  the  Tropics,  to  seek  these  in- 
imitable birds  in  the  mountains  and  woods  of 
the  Papuan  Islands  —  not  to  shoot  for  our  mu- 
seum shelves,  but  to  study  their  manners  and 
customs,  and  above  all  to  introduce  them  into 
American  aviaries,  that  a  new  and  absorbing 
chapter  might  be  added  to  our  Natural  Histo- 
ries, and  the  Bird  of  Paradise  cease  to  be  the 
Bird  of  Mystery. 


INDEX. 


African   Parrot  and  Mocking-Bird, 
90. 

Baltimore  Oriole. 

pursue  a  blackbird,  4. 

baby  ways,  9. 

attacked  by  robin,  10. 

an  unnatural  baby,  11. 

one  at  a  time,  11. 

the  father  as  drudge,  12. 

visited  by  the  Cardinal,  215. 
Bird  of  Paradise,  253. 

where  found,  253. 

mythical  stories  of,  253. 

dancing  parties,  255. 

colors,  255. 

arrangement  of  plumage,  255. 

Red  Bird  of,  255. 

Golden,  256. 

Standard-wing,  256. 

change  of  form,  256. 

feathers  an  index  of  the  mind, 
256. 

interesting  new  discoveries,  257. 

Signer  d'Albertis,  257. 

Six-shafted,  257. 

dusting  itself,  258. 

curious  scene,  258. 

a  rare  bird,  259. 

description  of,  259. 

another  new  one,  259. 

specimen  in  N.  Y.  Museum,  260. 

description  of  P.  Raggiana,  260. 

danger  of  beauty,  260. 

a  bare-headed  bird,  261. 

Manucodia,  261. 

M.  Comrii,  262. 

M.  Chalybea,  262. 

Long-tailed,  263. 

changeable,  263. 

Epimachus  Elliott,  263. 

the  Gardener  bird,  264. 

description  of  nest,  264. 

a  clever  builder,  265. 

manners  of  P.  Apoda,  266. 


toilet,  266. 

dancing  parties,  267. 

twelve-wired,  268. 

Le  Vaillant's  work,  268. 
Birds. 

home  affairs  of,  3. 

dangers  in  nest,  5. 

hard  work  of,  15. 

training  the  young,  15. 

study  of,  16. 

cruel  pursuit  of,  239. 

at  twilight,  247. 
Bluebird,  97. 

attitude  and  manners,  97. 

attitude   and  manners,  female. 
98. 

defending  her  spouse,  98. 

standing  guard,  98. 

defending  the  young,  99. 

after  the  mocking-bird,  99. 

unsafe  nest,  99. 

tragedy  in  the  family,  100. 

consoling  his  mate,  100. 

an  affectionate  pair,  101. 

motherly  affection,  102. 

arrangements  for  sleep,  102. 

queer  little  talk  with  me,  103. 

talk  together,  104-106. 

staring  at  nothing,  104. 

his  mate  disapproves,  106. 

difference  in  intelligence,  107. 

demanding  meal-worms,  107. 

expressing  themselves,  107. 

learning  by  experience,  108. 

fond  of  worms,  108. 

trick  on  a  scarlet  tanager,  108. 

bathing,  109. 

bewitching  dance,  109. 

sunning  himself,  109. 

feathering  out,  110. 

growing  belligerent,  110. 

courtship,  110. 

he  presents  a  worm,  110. 

refusing  to  share,  111. 

feeding  through  wires,  112. 


272 


INDEX. 


change  in  the  song,  112. 
set  free,  112. 

attacked  by  sparrows,  112. 
baby  ways,  13. 
bringing  food  to  young,  47. 
Blue  Jay,  175. 

driving  corks,  175. 

hammering,  175. 

destructiveness,  176. 

holes  in  the  matting,  176. 

ornamenting  books,  177. 

pounding  upward,  177. 

hiding  things,  177. 

his  regular  business,  178. 

clearing  up  the  room,  178. 

setting  off  matches,  179. 

odd  hiding-places,  179. 

in  my  hair,  180. 

intelligent  interest,  180. 

likes  and  dislikes,  180-191. 

showing  fight,  181. 

war  upon  the  baby,  181. 

expression  of  affection,  181. 

curiosity,  182. 

jumping,  183. 

queer  way  of  alighting,  183. 

bird  of  opinions,  183. 

scolding  the  rain,  184. 

strange  noises,  184. 

song,  184. 

stamping  his  feet,  184. 

in  anger,  184. 

peaceful  among  the  birds,  185. 

timid,  185. 

afraid  of  falling,  185. 

a  jay-baby  cry,  185. 

fond  of  music,  186. 

attended  to  business,  187. 

talking  to  me,  187. 

his  demon  of  work,  187. 

in  his  vindication,  187. 

knew  what  he  wanted,  191 . 

human  society,  191. 

tokens  of  affection,  192. 

love,  193. 

ice-cream  and  cake,  193. 

hiding  his  candy,  193. 

next  in  favor,  193. 

difference  in  treatment,  193. 

curious  dance,  194. 

missed  his  frolics,  194. 

calling  his  playmate,  194. 

treatment  of  a  young  lady,  195. 

treatment  of  a  youth,  195. 

treatment  of  the  head  of  the 

household,  195. 
treatment  of  a  maid,  195. 
afraid  of  a  trap,  195. 
a  wise  bird,  19G. 
cutting  a  wire,  196. 


loosening  a  rubber  band,  196. 

a  troublesome  pet,  196. 

on  my  desk,  196. 

a  cure  for  hammering,  196. 

learning  to  get  under  the  cover, 

197. 

prying  into  packages,  197. 
the  waste  basket,  198. 
after  the  photographs,  198. 
on  the  door,  198. 
flying  out,  198. 
the  open  window,  199. 
learning  to  outwit  him,  199. 
the  other  birds  no  society,  199. 
surprising  his  neighbors,  199. 
the  room  in  a  panic,  200. 
excitement  over  a  grasshopper, 

200. 

the  oriole  takes  a  hand,  200. 
afraid  of  a  tree,  200. 
hiding  the  needles,  202. 
bathing,  202. 
beauty  of  plumage,  202. 
Brazilian  Cardinal,  232. 

Cardinal  Grosbeak,  or  Virginia  C., 

207. 

colors,  207. 

her  first  admirer,  208. 
his  first  call,  208. 
a  mind  of  her  own,  209. 
his  mistake,  209. 
reproaching  her,  209. 
violent  wooing,  210. 
the  obnoxious  door,  210. 
the  window,  210. 
exploring  the  room,  211. 
calling  on  the  robin,  211-214. 
war  declared  upon  her,  211 
the  window  problem,  212. 
lord-and-master,  212. 
curious  performance,  212. 
hostilities,  213. 
jealousy,  214. 
the  looking-glass,  214. 
calling  on  the  tanager,  214. 
the  bath,  214. 
calling  on  the  orioles,  215. 
beginning  to  sing,  215. 
a  queer  game,  215. 
war  again,  216. 
death  of  the  persecutor,  216. 
Virginia  relieved,  216. 
expression  of  crest,  216. 
a  week's  peace,  217. 
arrival  of  a  stranger,  217. 
Virginia  not  pleased,  217. 
the  second  suitor  goes,  218. 
left  alone,  218. 
set  free,  219. 


INDEX. 


273 


the  successful  wooer,  219. 
difficulty,  studies  under,  25,  26, 
27, 29,  30. 

Golden  -  winged     Woodpecker,    or 
Flicker,  115. 

in  search  of  a  nest,  115. 

heavy  flight,  116. 

out  of  a  bird  store,  117. 

excessively  wild,  117. 

getting  acquainted,  117. 

peeping  out,  118. 

expressing  emotion,  118. 

in  despair,  118. 

holes  in  the  wall,  118. 

learning  to  eat,  118. 

peculiar  attitudes,  119. 

sleeping,  119. 

restlessness,  119. 

taking  naps,  120. 

a  heavy  sleeper,  120. 

dreaming,  120. 

hanging  himself,  121. 

expression  of  sentiments,  121. 

the  door  opened,  121. 

running  about  the  floor,  121. 

intelligence,  121. 

exploring  the  room,  121. 

investigating  the  nails,  122. 

visiting  his  neighbors,  122. 

up  the  ladder,  122. 

teasing  the  goldfinch,  123. 

down  the  ladder,  123. 

stepping  down  backward,  123. 

going  home,  124. 

asking  to  be  let  out,  124. 

suddenly  familiar,  124. 

childlike  disposition,  124. 

a  silent  bird,  124. 

a  strange  song,  125. 

an  extraordinary  display,  125. 

the  baby  of  the  family,  126. 

position  of  rest,  127. 

flicker  talk,  127. 
Goldfinch,  72, 152,  157. 

Mocking-Bird. 
baby  ways,  13. 
study  of,  23. 
way  of  singing,  25-44. 
fables  about,  30-31. 
nest,  35. 

domestic  relations,  36. 
home  in  a  pine  grove,  37. 
wooing,  38. 
dance,  39. 
love  or  war  ?  41. 
house  hunting,  41. 
building  in  a  storm,  42. 
on  the  winding  stairs,  43. 


belligerent,  44. 
a  call  on  his  spouse,  45. 
frolic  on  the  grass,  45. 
nest  in  the  cedar,  45. 
the  youngsters  out,  46. 
feeding  the  babies,  46. 
the  baby  cry,  47. 
parental  anxiety,  48,  50,  55. 
madam  remonstrates,  48. 
telling  the  news,  49. 
out  of  the  nest,  50. 
looks  and  manners  of  the  in- 
fant, 50,  51,  53. 
a  lively  youngster,  52. 
an  ignominious  flop,  53. 
baby  number  two,  53. 
refuses  to  move  on,  53. 
thieves  —  black  and  white,  54. 
behavior  of  a  young  singer,  54. 
had  his  own  way,  55. 
number  three  neglected,  55. 
the  cry-baby,  56. 
peculiar  hops,  56. 
a  curious  performance,  57. 
the  nest,  57. 
movements,  58,  59. 
lifting  the  wings,  60. 
disposition,  60. 
quarrel,  61. 
attack  on  a  crow,  61. 
song,  62,  63. 
as  imitator,  63. 
Mocking-Bird  in  the  house, 
mocking,  67. 
intelligence,  67. 
taking  notes,  68. 
choice  of  colors,  68. 
enjoyment  of  liberty,  69. 
reason,  69. 

warmed  by  a  lamp,  69. 
quiet  observation,  70. 
submitting  to  imposition,  70. 
out  of  the  cage,  70. 
studying  surroundings,  71. 
the  pin-cushion,  71. 
looking-glass,  71. 
settling  his  position,  72. 
the  English  goldfinch,  72. 
driven  away  from  the  bath,  73. 
the  feathers  flew,  74. 
scene  between   goldfinch  and, 

74. 

insulted  by  a  thrush,  75. 
dispute  over  the  bath,  75. 
worrying  the  Mexican,  77. 
with  the  wood  thrush,  78. 
quarrel  over  the  apple,  78. 
a  war  dance,  79. 
settling  the  thrush,  80. 
end  of  the  apple  contest,  81. 


274 


INDEX. 


decides  to  remove ,  81. 
teasing  the  thrush,  83.  ' 
giaceful  attack,  83. 
a  change  of  tactics,  84. 
a  determined  enemy,  85. 
gracefulness,  85. 
bewitching  ways,  86. 
expression  of  feathers,  86. 
the  looking-glass,  87. 
manner  of  dressing,  89. 
lifting  the  wings,  89. 
steel  pen,  89. 
attack  on  the  parrot,  90. 
never  startled,  91. 
caught  under  a  shawl,  91. 
mad  frolics,  92. 
fury  of  play,  92. 
reducing  the  finch  to  silence,  93. 
mischief,  not  malice,  93. 
Mexican  thrush,  77,  83. 

Nonpareil,  28. 
Nuthatch  baby  ways,  12. 
visited  by  orioles,  138. 

Orchard  Orioles,  131. 

characteristics,  131,  132. 
persistent  singers,  131. 
making  themselves  conspicuous, 

132. 

annoying  ways,  132. 
shouting  the  news,  133. 
trouble  in  the  family,  133. 
plumage,  133,  134. 
two  suitors  to  one  maid,  134. 
he  will  have  his  way,  134. 
she  flew  for  her  life,  134. 
voice  of  female,  135. 
beauty  of  female,  135. 
restless  manners,  135. 
a  war  dance,  136. 
an  anti-climax,  137. 
a  meek  damsel,  137. 
inquisitive,  138. 
visiting     the    mocking  -  bird's 

nest,  138. 

visiting  nuthatches,  138. 
interested  in  me,  139. 
the  crisis,  139. 
nesting  time  begun.  139. 
matters  settled,  140. 
the  honeymoon,  140. 
submitting    to    the    inevitable, 

140. 

nest  building,  140. 
precipitate  wooing,  141. 
grumbling  husbands,  141. 
a  feathered  thief,  142. 
the  end  was  not  yet,  142. 
with  a  grasshopper,  201. 


Pewee,  baby  ways,  15. 

learning  to  hover,  16. 
Plover,  24. 
Purple  Crow  Blackbird. 

in  trouble,  4. 

launching  the  infants,  5. 

blackbird  babies,  7. 

Rose-breasted  Grosbeak,  239. 

dress ;  characters,  239. 

manner  of  eating,  240. 

about  the  room,  240. 

a  creature  of  habit,  240. 

intelligence,  241. 

had  his  own  opinion,  241. 

change  of  place,  242. 

contented  and  happy,  242. 

a  silent  bird,  243. 

queer  noises,  243. 

disturbed  by  an  owl,  243. 

song,  244-249. 

the  looking-glass,  244. 

posturing,  245. 

curious  movements,  246. 

bathing,  246. 

color,  247. 

night,  248. 

never  playful,  249. 
Robin  baby  ways,  14,  47. 
Robin  called  in  by  Cardinal,  211-214. 

Scarlet  Tanager  and  English  Gold- 
finch, 224. 

dress  and  manners,  224. 
parties  to  the  friendship,  224. 
dislike  to  confinement,  224. 
coming  out,  225. 
the  window  glass,  226. 
the  finch  flies  at  him,  226. 
giving  up  the  world,  227. 
dislike  to  be  looked  at,  227. 
first  sign  of  friendship,  228. 
the  smallest  bird,  228. 
progress  of  the  friendship,  228. 
the  tanager's  boundary,  229. 
becoming  protector,  229. 
beginning  to  talk,  229. 
perching  outside,  230. 
around  the  room,  231. 
in  a  strange  cage,  231. 
on  the  floor,  231. 
driving  the  Brazilian,  232. 
the  robin  interferes,  232. 
the  finch  goes  for  him,  233. 
a  new  roof,  233. 
the  mischievous  robin,  234. 
approach  of  spring,  234. 
offensive  operations,  235. 
anxious  to  go,  235. 
belligerent,  235. 


INDEX. 


275 


set  free,  236. 
the  deserted  lover,  236. 
called  on  by  cardinal,  214. 
Snowy  Heron,  23. 

Tern,  24. 

Thrasher,  or  Brown  Thrush,  147. 

restlessness,  147. 

use  of  feet,  148. 

erratic  movements,  149. 

way  of  approach,  149. 

sensational  manners,  150. 

bathing,  150. 

waltzing  around  the  bath,  150. 

excitement  of  the  bath,  151. 

mischievousness,  152. 

teasing  the  finch,  152. 

tearing  paper,  152. 

with  a  newspaper,  153. 

the  magazines,  153. 

hammering,  153. 

jumping,  153. 

intelligence,  154. 

talking  back,  154. 

expression  of  wings,  154. 

littleness  of  body,  155. 

the  song,  155. 

in  the  twilight,  156,  247. 

strange  movements,  156. 


watching  others,  157, 
in  the  spring,  157. 
Thrushes. 

gray-cheeked,  161. 

song  of,  162. 

Wilson's,  162. 

wonderful  song,  162. 

whisper  songs,  162. 

difference  in  character,  163. 

bewitching  dance,  163. 

use  of  feet,  164. 

excitement,  165. 

a  different  dance,  165. 

bathing,  165,  166. 

the  bird  in  the  glass,  166. 

alighting  places,  167. 

enjoying  a  swing,  167. 

a  snug  retreat,  167. 

tearing  papers,  168. 

lonely  disposition,  169. 

belligerent,  169. 

set  free,  169. 

surprise  of  freedom,  170. 

a  call  from  a  neighbor,  170. 

farewell  to  the  Gray-cheeked, 

Thrush  baby  ways,  8,  78,  80,  85. 
Yellow-throated  baby  ways,  8. 


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